At Leading Edge, our philosophy is simple—you must understand your customers’ needs to meet them. During his 13 years in the materials industry, founder Phillip Guthrie saw an opportunity to improve the way materials specialists interact with their clients. He wanted to take a hands-on, relationship-oriented approach to improving his customers’ products and processes. He wanted the chance to collaborate and apply his expertise to solving unique and challenging materials-related problems. He wanted to establish long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with his customers—and he wasn’t alone. After discovering others who shared his vision—both his clients and his peers—he founded Leading Edge.

Located in Gardena, California, Leading Edge specializes in providing high-quality, specialty materials used in a wide variety of applications. Many materials are available for immediate shipment from either our Midwestern warehouse in Indianapolis, Indiana or our west coast warehouse in southern California. Our materials specialists work very closely with our clients, providing invaluable insight as to which materials are best-suited for the given environment, how materials are best machined, and which metals are most cost-effective. Our reputation speaks for itself—quality products and uncompromising integrity. Trust Leading Edge with all of your specialty materials needs. With our unmatched dedication to quality materials and customer satisfaction, we know you’ll be pleased with your decision.

Products

Leading Edge provides a wide variety of products in multiple forms, shapes and sizes. Depending on the material selected, metals can be processed by shearing, saw-cutting, slitting, laser and water-jet cutting, tension leveling, Blanchard grinding, center less grinding, and double disc grinding. With contacts throughout the materials industry and long-standing relationships with many top-quality vendors, we can also help with hard-to-find materials. Our most commonly used metals are listed below. If you don’t see the material you’re looking for, or if you’d like to discuss which materials would be best-suited for your needs, contact one of our materials specialists.

Leading Edge supplies:

• Controlled Expansion Alloys
• Low Expansion Alloys
• Electronic Metals
• Thermocouple Alloys
• Soft Magnetic Shielding Alloys
• High-Temperature, Corrosion-Resistant, and Refractory Metals

Industries Served

The high-quality metals supplied by Leading Edge are used in a wide variety of applications in multiple industries. Regardless of what you’re looking to build—a titanium orthopedic implant, electronic nickel lead wires, an Alumel®-Chromel® thermocouple, or a tungsten electron emitter—our specialists can help you find the material you need to get the job done. Some of the industries we serve include:

Aerospace

Metals used in the aerospace industry must be light and strong, providing unmatched reliability despite extreme pressure, high heat and dramatic shifts in temperature. Titanium is often the material of choice for both airframes and turbine engine parts. Tungsten is used to make rocket engine nozzles. Invar® and other nickel-iron alloys are used for aircraft instrumentation and precision composite molds.

Electronics

Electronic components are smaller, faster, and more reliable than ever before. Many of the advances made in the electronics industry are directly related to the materials used. The excellent conductive properties of high-quality electronic nickel coupled with its resistance to corrosion make it an excellent choice for multiple electronic applications. Glass-sealing alloys such as Kovar® and alloy 52 are used to make hermetic environments, and alloy 42 is very well suited for joining to ceramic chips in miniature electronic circuits.

Magnetic Shielding

Magnetic interference can affect the quality of a wide variety of systems involving sound, video, and instrumentation equipment. The high permeability of magnetic shielding alloys can significantly improve performance in such systems. In the medical community, magnetic shielding alloys are used to protect sensitive measuring equipment, such as electrocardiogram machines. In the automotive and aerospace industries, alloys are used to protect electronic controls. Magnetic shielding alloys, such as HyMu 80® and LE Alloy 49, are used to protect a host of products from interference including cell phones, home theater systems, computer display monitors, and retail credit card readers.

Medical

The medical community uses the materials supplied by Leading Edge to protect monitoring equipment, build medical implants and construct medical electronics. In addition to the electronic and magnetic shielding applications described above, biocompatible titanium is widely used for medical implants.

Expertise

While many metals may work for an application, not all are cost-effective. Length of service, environmental conditions, and the degree of precision needed—there are many factors to consider when choosing materials. Our professionals have the experience and expertise needed to evaluate your situation and recommend the metal best-suited to your application.

Product Selection and Purchasing Options

Leading Edge offers a wide range of products in multiple shapes and sizes, even in small quantities. Many are available for immediate shipment from our warehouse and, if we don’t have the material you need, there’s a good chance we can find it. With our flexible purchasing options, you can ensure materials are available when they’re needed. Purchasing options include blanket orders, just-in-time delivery, and consignment materials.

Customer Service

Good customer service is good business—and more than that, it’s the right thing to do. When you deal with Leading Edge, you can count on more than quality products at fair prices. You can count on expert information to help you make the most cost-effective choice of material, attention to detail, and personal investment in the success of your application.

Product Information