Triangle Package offers clients time-tested, versatile solutions

By Alyssa Mitchell

Photo courtesy of Triangle Packaging Machinery Co.

CONTINUOUS MOTION — Pictured above is Triangle Package’s XYM Continuous Motion vertical form fill seal bagger. The machine can run bags up to 5 pounds at over 65 bags per minute while maintaining a hygienic environment.

Photo courtesy of Triangle Packaging Machinery Co.

ROTARY WHEEL — Triangle Package offers solutions for product loss due to inaccurate weighments, such as inline weigher, scales, radial scales and rotary wheels. A single-wheel tray packaging system can operate at speeds up to 75 trays per minute, or up to 150 trays per minute with a dual-wheel tray packaging system.

CHICAGO — As a family-owned, leading provider of packaging machines for over a century, Triangle Package Machinery Co. offers versatile solutions to the cheese industry.

Triangle offers the only vertical form fill seal (VFFS) bagger and forming tube designed to meet strict USDA and 3-A sanitation standards, the company says.

“Our vertical form fill seal machines offer the advantage of being able to run bags that are up to 5 pounds at over 65 bags per minute while maintaining a hygienic environment,” says Don Maxwell, regional sales manager, Upper Midwest, for Triangle Package.

Triangle VFFS baggers increase production yield while enhancing food safety efforts. Built and serviced at the company’s Chicago facility and designed for 24/7 operation, Triangle baggers are rugged and run in even the harshest environments. Available in both continuous and intermittent motion options, Triangle baggers are versatile and designed to meet customers’ needs.

The VFFS bag machines are designed and built with the strictest sanitary requirements in mind and are available in various sanitation levels. Standard sanitary features include:

• Sloped control box, which pivots to provide 360 degrees of machine access for cleaning;

• Servo motors available in three sanitation levels to meet product demands — stainless steel, stainless steel washdown and USDA/3A;

• Open cable management reduces bacteria harborage sites by eliminating growth niches; and

• Quick removal sealing jaws and back seal components for easy washdown.

In addition, to further enhance sanitary packaging, ultrasonic sealing options are available for applications that require hermetic seals, Maxwell notes.

“By significantly reducing the amount of material needed due to the precision welding of the film, ultrasonics
also offer material savings,” he says. “Contributing further savings, they also do not require the use of consumables such as Teflon tape or sealing wax.”

Meanwhile, with Smart IO technology, Delta Series intermittent motion VFFS machines improve troubleshooting and preventative maintenance efforts by proactively sensing changes such as air pressure fluctuation and when film rolls are running low. These machines feature round barstock frames and smooth, ground welds, and harborage points are eliminated. They also offer optional stainless steel guard doors and a stainless steel forming tube.

The Delta Series machines have the ability to run two baggers side by side in a compact footprint at speeds up to 120 bags per minute. They feature a zipper tape applicator that packages bulky foods in easy access bags that fully open across the entire width of the package.

Delta machines also have the ability to run multiple bag styles, including EZ-stand, pillow, gusseted and flat bottom bags, and feature rotatable jaws that easily switch from pillow to three-side seal bags in less than 10 minutes.

Finally, Triangle’s X-Series continuous motion VFFS is an all-servo bagger that offers fast operating speeds, helping end users achieve speeds up to 150 bags per minute.

Available in four sanitation levels, including painted steel, stainless steel, stainless steel washdown and USDA/3-A, the X-Series baggers are designed with a continuously welded tubular frame, as well as cross members rotated 45 degrees to allow product runoff to further enhance food safety.

Options include:
• Ultrasonic sealing for applications that require hermetic seals;
• Integrated zipper applicator for bags that fully open from left to right;
• A liquid squeegee that keeps liquid out of the sealing area and achieves clean seals, every time;
• Ability to run multiple bag styles, including EZ-stand, pillow, gusseted and flat bottom bags;
• Rotatable jaws that switch formats in 10 minutes or less without heavy equipment or complicated tools; and
• A solid frame.
• Automation

As the food industry continues to face labor shortages and automated solutions continue to gain traction, Triangle also offers versatile automatic carton filling machines. Triangle bag-in-box cartoners are a compact solution that automates the production process while providing greater flexibility, lower maintenance and reduced downtime. Automatic carton filling machines easily load one or more bags into the same box with single, twin- and triple-pack bag-in-box capability in both laminate and low-density polyethylene, making Triangle cartoners a strong alternative to top-load carton loading, Maxwell notes.

Changeover is quick and simple, he adds.

To aid with product loss, Triangle also offers an inline weigher.

“Product loss due to inaccurate weighments can be costly,” Maxwell says. “Weighing with unmatched accuracy is possible with a Triangle inline weigher. Pair a Triangle bagger with a Triangle inline scale or a radial scale from one of our partners for a complete solution that streamlines your cheese packaging operations.”

A single-wheel tray packaging system can operate at speeds up to 75 trays per minute, or up to 150 trays per minute with a dual-wheel tray packaging system.

Meanwhile, Triangle’s belt-fed weighers are ideal for larger pieces of difficult-to-run products, such as cubed, marinated or shredded proteins.

“Offering unmatched accuracy, our weighers provide a quick return on investment. Customers enjoy immediate savings in product giveaway, and our unique belt transfer system does not damage the product in any way, shape or form,” Maxwell says. “Additional savings are realized by fast and easy cleaning and maintenance, with easily removable belts and buckets.”

Triangle inline multihead weighers feature three different product feeding methods, depending on product characteristics: vibratory trays, a hopper or a unique belt-fed system for fresh products. This ensures optimum product distribution and weight accuracy. All designs feature quick, hand-removable features for easy accessibility and sanitation.

In addition, the split tray design offers a multiple-product blending option, available in a smooth or Rigid-Tex finish to ensure smooth product flow.

• Family owned

As a family-owned company for 101 years, Triangle now is under the fourth generation of family leadership.
“As a family company, we have the ability to really pick and choose where we want to focus and apply our resources,” Maxwell says. “We select important elements that we want to focus on.”

Sanitation, steel quality, ultrasonics and understanding the specific application needed at a detailed level are some of the company’s core focuses, he adds.

“We’re not the biggest player on the block, so we need to be more nimble. That’s been the family focus,” Maxwell says. “When we put a machine into a cheese plant, we expect that machine to run for 30-40 years.”
He adds that Triangle never stops providing service and parts for old machines.

“We’ve got machines that were installed in the 1950s, and if we don’t have those parts on the shelf, we’ll pull the file and make the part for you,” he says. “You become part of the family when you partner with Triangle, and we don’t leave family behind.”

Maxwell notes all of Triangle’s machines are made in a modular way, so any upgrades easily can be implemented.

“That means you may buy a base level machine today, maybe starting with a 5-pound bag, and then change later to an 8-pound bag — all of those features are retrofittable,” he says.

“Everyone is looking for something simpler that they can put in to be used by less experienced operators — that’s a food industry trend, not just exclusive to cheese,” he adds. “We need to get the equipment as close to a ‘lights out’ operation as we can, offering superior sanitation, ease of use and the integrity of the steel to give the product the longest possible shelf life — those are three trends we see being pushed to the front, in all food.”

CMN

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