Creative Fixturing

Shop supervisor Felipe Ochoa sets up Leading Edge’s Charmilles Cut 20 P wire EDM.

They say, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” But that oldie-but-goodie can be easily restated: “Build a better process and customers will come knocking on your door.”

Which is exactly what happened to San Clemente, CA’s Leading Edge Turbine Corporation, a successful manufacturer of precision machined blades and vanes for the aerospace and industrial gas turbine industries. Founded in 2008 by company president Marlon Gaines, the company has since experienced rapid and enviable growth. In fact, since its founding, the company outgrew its initial 2500 square-foot leased building and bought its own modern 6,000 square-foot facility. It keeps 16 skilled employees busy operating  10 Chevalier creep-feed profile grinders, including 2 C1224CNC grinders, 6 B1224III  and 3 B818III Smart Grinders, an AgieCharmilles Cut 20 P wire EDM and a Hurco verticle machining center. The company’s customer list, though classified due to non-disclosure agreements, includes customers of the calibre of General Electric and other major companies that produce train turbo chargers, helicopter and single-prop engines, and ground-based power generators.