Preliminary Crushing System (PCS)
Precision. Pre-crush.
Preliminary Crushing System (PCS)
Preliminary Crushing System (PCS) is our patented bean-feed + pre-crushing module designed specifically for horizontal burr grinders. It controls the feed rate of beans entering the crusher via an auger-like action and initiates a controlled crushing phase before beans ever reach the burrs.
This results in a more uniform grind with less fines, smoother feeding, and more efficient motor usage.
Why PCS?
Practices like slow bean feeding has been observed to improve grind uniformity - likely by reducing crowding in the burrs and allowing each bean more space and time to break down cleanly. Similarly, prebreaking (e.g. double-grinding) and crushing (similar to roller mills, ghost burrs) were observed to promote more uniform grind with fewer fines. But they’re often impractical or time-consuming for everyday use.
PCS is inspired by these methods and aims to bring their core benefits into an integrated, automated workflow.
With PCS, beans are pushed and guided into the crusher at a steady, controlled pace. At the same time, the crusher crushes the whole beans into smaller bean fragments before they reach the burrs. The system is precisely tuned so these two stages work in harmony - optimizing burr performance and minimizes sudden load spikes and ensuring an even, consistent feed into the burrs.
Beans enter the burrs more chaotically
Beans Feed
Beans are pre-broken and fed into the burrs at a steady rate
Motors spike to handle sudden load surges
Motor Usage
Motors run smoother, and more efficiently
Crowding leads to more fines and potential inconsistency
Grind Performance
Burrs receive uniform feed, promoting more uniform grind
With PCS
Without PCS
More Uniform Grind, Less Fines
Our internal tests show a significantly more uniform grind profile when using PCS. With the same burr gap setting, we observed filter drawdown times improve consistently by up to 15 seconds faster - a strong indicator of reduced fines and more consistent particle distribution.
For espresso, users are able to grind 2-5 ticks finer (equivalent to 8–37 microns) while maintaining the same shot parameters (tested with LAGOM 01). This shift suggests that PCS produces a grind with fewer micro-fines clogging the puck and more effective extraction - even at finer settings.
Increased Torque, Efficient Power Use
In grinders without a feeding system, beans enter the burrs in a more chaotic, random manner - often leading to sudden resistance spikes and therefore less efficient motor behavior. PCS changes that.
By spreading the bean load over time through a controlled auger-feed mechanism, PCS enables the grinder to experience smoother, more consistent resistance throughout the grinding cycle - with only a minimal increase in grind time (typically 1–3 seconds).
This steady feed allows the motor to operate under more stable loads, enhancing overall performance and responsiveness. Our measurements show up to a 40% reduction in peak power draw - effectively achieving higher torque via more efficient use. In practical terms, this is equivalent to having a 60% more powerful motor.
Efficient Pre-Crushing at the Right Stage
PCS introduces a highly efficient pre-crushing process - the pre-crush efficiency was measured to be >95%, typically exceeding 99% by weight (as verified through sifting). In practice, this means nearly all beans are effectively pre-crushed before reaching the burrs.
RPM plays a role in fine-tuning the pre-crush process. Increasing RPM generally increases the proportion of beans that are fully pre-crushed before burr entry.
This allows you to further expand the usefulness of RPM setting in tuning and dialing in your cup quality.
Built for the Future
PCS makes its debut with LAGOM 01, and will be selectively integrated into future grinder platforms where it makes the most impact.
Its ability to deliver even bean loading and increase of motor efficiency opens the door to new approaches in burr design and feed mechanics - allowing us to explore grinder and burrs designs that weren’t previously possible.
With the PCS technology, there is no extra steps or adjustment required in the workflow. It operates silently in the background - just better results, effortlessly.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Preliminary Crushing System (PCS)
Product Name
LAGOM 01 - 102mm carrier [Blind Burrs]
Compatibility
+/- 0.01mm
Critical Part Tolerances
>95% efficiency, by weight (depending on bean density, RPM, size and hardness)
*Measured via sifting and weighing of non-crushed beans
Pre-crushing Efficiency
Precision CNC machined and hard anodised aluminium
Construction Material
