Triangle's Feature in "the fabricator" Magazine

We were honored to be featured in the October 2011 issue of the the fabricator. Greg Farnum, contributing writer, wrote an article entitled "Stampers' unique perspectives result in innovative designs". Triangle was featured along with another stamping company based out of Florida. Brent Walker, Triangle Manufacturing President, discussed how we work to help our customer's cut costs and how we are adapting to appeal to lower-volume customers.


Here is a sample: Sprocket to the Top

Innovation, of course, isn’t limited to the Sun Belt.Triangle Manufacturing Co., Oshkosh, Wis., is a family-owned firm that provides parts and assemblies to the automotive, farm implement, packaging, HVAC, and retail display industries. According to the company‘s president, Brent Walker (who is not related to EBway’s Terry Walker), the business has put a premium on creative engineering, technical know-how, and adding value throughout its nearly 90-year history.Be that as it may, the 45-person business clearly prizes those qualities now, maintaining a staff of eight engineers with a combined 157 years at Triangle and five toolmakers with a combined 140-plus years of toolmaking experience.“This helps us provide full solutions, from design to implementation,” Triangle’s Walker said.To underscore that statement, he pointed to a sprocket bearing that his company recently created for a corn planting machine produced by a major agricultural equipment-maker. The metal part is involved in activating a mechanism that deposits the corn seeds during planting. Formed from eight different stamped steel components, the design drastically reduced the need for additional processing when assembling the final part.With this part Triangle also was challenged to accommodate the bearing to a hexagonal shaft.“We engineered a round shaft with a hexagonal inside that fit inside a round sleeve bearing.  We used a flange mounting to act as a backplate to ensure sturdy mounting,” Walker said.  “This product can be used in many different chain-driven applications, with the possibility of many differently shaped shafts,” he added. “It can also be further customized and altered for the specifics in any industry.”The benefits to the new system design are numerous.




Figure 4 - Stamping isn’t a method just for producing a large quantity of parts quickly and cost-effectively. Experienced toolmakers and engineers can turn the inside of a press bed into a place where innovative metal part designs can become a reality. Photo courtesy of Triangle Manufacturing Co.

“Our customer saved on assembly time. Because of the formed nature of the sheet metal, no additional welding was needed,” Walker said. “Also, we used no machined parts, and the only component not created through our stamping process was the sprocket’s oil-impregnated powdered metal bearing.”
Walker credited Triangle Manufacturing’s engineering and toolmaking capabilities with enabling this success story in a number of ways, some of which may not be immediately apparent. For instance, because the toolmaking is done on-site, the company can engineer and manufacture with no lag time, shipping products from its in-house shipping warehouse in a just-in-time (JIT) manner, Walker said.
  Walker said JIT fits well with Triangle Manufacturing’s overall approach to business.
“What separates us from other fabricators and manufacturers is our understanding of OEM logistics and the part that can play in furthering quick turnaround and lowering part costs,” he said. “By shipping just-in-time, we reduce warehousing space. We have short lead-times and are able to maneuver shipping costs to be economical for our customers.”
 As for Triangle Manufacturing, its strategy for the future revolves around continued innovation (see Figure 4).
“Along with many in the manufacturing industry, 2008 and 2009 were difficult years for sales,” Triangle’s Walker said. “Our vendors and customers were hit by the recession and production was down. However, we saw it as an opportunity to improve our internal efficiency in production and shipping. We are feeling much more confident about 2011 and are bolstering our sales with global expansion and new, innovative product development.”
The days of banging out thousands of simple parts on a stamping press may be gone for many metal formers, but plenty of stamping business remains for the companies able to use their expertise to resolve customers’ manufacturing dilemmas. This isn’t an easy way to make a living in manufacturing nowadays; it’s the only way.

Check out the full article here.