John Franklin started off as a pattern maker aboard the NAVY submarine-tender USS Sperry. After the NAVY, he took his knowledge of pattern making to Douglas Pattern Makers, and eventually ended
up at the Andre Pattern workshop in Los Angeles' Produce Plaza. During the 1960s, Andre Pattern purchased the building in Norwalk that would eventually become the home of Aerotec Alloys.
During the late 1960's John Franklin bought out Andre Pattern and hired his son, Bob Franklin, who at the time was a high school math teacher. In the mid 1970s, John and Bob bought out competitor
Accurate Mold and moved their equipment and staff to Norwalk. Bob had a vision of moving the business forward by having a more complete process: “why make patterns when we can make the product too?"
Merging the pattern and molding services together, Accurate Mold became so busy that a larger building was purchased for use in Garden Grove. In the late 1970s, John Franklin sold his Garden Grove shop to
Everest and Jennings International. In 1986 John Franklin retired, and Bob Franklin officially started Aerotec Alloys as full service investment foundry at the Norwalk location.
Over the years, we at Aerotec Alloys have found that investment casting customers are searching more and more for a ready-to-use part. We have continually added resources to our foundry and now offer a full service
experience.