Investment casting is an ancient industrial technique which is also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From over 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the patterns, to today’s high-tech. waxes, such as refractory materials and specialist alloys, the castings allow the manufacture of components with accuracy,  versatility, repeatability, and integrity in different types of metals and high performance alloys. Lost foam casting is a recent form of investment casting that eliminates several steps in the process.