Tolling, or toll processing, involves outsourcing the processing of raw materials. The optimal arrangement comes with a partner that can consistently process challenging materials to exact specifications.
For more than 30 years, Classifier Milling Systems (CMS/ACMS) has helped manufacturers tackle complex milling challenges across food, chemical, mineral, and industrial applications. Our decades of engineering knowledge now support a full range of toll milling services, delivering reliable, repeatable outcomes.
Types of Toll Processing
Toll processing is a service arrangement where a company sends its raw material to a third-party facility to be processed according to defined specifications. At Classifier Milling Systems, our toll processing services cover:
- Particle size reduction. Grinding and milling to achieve target particle size distributions.
- Air classification. Separating particles by size, shape, or density after milling.
- Dust collection and containment. Critical for fine powders and hazardous materials.
Our certified food toll processing services also cater to food-grade applications with distinct handling standards.
Materials We Process
We work across a broad range of industries, including powder coatings, nutraceuticals, food, minerals, industrial chemicals, and more. Our equipment handles both standard and non-standard materials with equal reliability. What separates our toll processing capability from general-purpose contract processors is the engineering depth behind it; every material behaves differently under milling conditions, and we account accordingly for those differences.
Challenging Product Examples
Some materials require specialized handling that goes beyond standard toll milling services. These are areas where our systems are designed to perform:
- Graphite. Prone to contamination and difficult to contain due to particle characteristics. Requires controlled environments and dedicated equipment.
- Bio-char. Low bulk density with variable particle structure. Consistent size reduction requires tuned classifier settings.
- Black pellets. Moisture-sensitive and mechanically demanding. Process parameters must be tightly controlled to avoid degradation.
- Trona. A naturally occurring mineral that’s reactive and abrasive. Equipment wear and process stability are key challenges.
- Calcium carbonate. Can demand high throughput with tight particle size requirements. Consistent PSD is critical across runs.
- Powder coatings. Excess friction during milling can cause melting or caking. Temperature management is essential.
- Food ingredients. Subject to food-safety requirements, contamination controls, and potential moisture restrictions.
- Sand. Highly abrasive. Requires wear-resistant components and careful system design.
- Sodium bicarbonate. Flow-challenging and moisture-reactive. Precise handling conditions prevent agglomeration and process disruption.
Tailoring Solutions to Your Needs
Toll processing throughput requirements, target particle size, material behavior, and contamination risk can vary from one client to the next. We don’t apply a standard formula.
Before we commit to a production run, we test your material under real processing conditions. This confirms whether our standard configuration will work or if equipment settings, classifier speeds, or airflow parameters need to be adjusted to meet your specifications.
What that means in practice:
- Validation before full-scale runs to confirm processing parameters
- Process engineering support from the same team that designs our milling systems
- Scalability from small specialty batches to high-volume continuous production
- White label services for varying capacity requirements
We’ve applied experience from processing ingredients in one application area to improve outcomes for other clients. This cross-industry exposure and problem-solving is a genuine advantage and continues to benefit tolling clients we work with. Our milling equipment and laboratory testing services back our capabilities and results.
Contact Classifier Milling Systems for Toll Processing Services
If you’re working with a material that’s inconsistent, difficult to mill, or simply hasn’t been handled reliably by other toll processors, we want to hear about it. Our toll milling services exist for these situations. Our expertise in solving processing problems across a range of materials means we’ve likely encountered something close to your challenge before, and if we haven’t, we have the engineering capability and lab infrastructure to work with it.
Request a quote to discuss your toll processing requirements with our team.