Investment casting is an industrial process based on and also called lost wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the pattern, to today’s high-technology waxes, refractory materials, and specialist alloys, the castings allow the production of components with accuracy, repeatability, versatility, and integrity in a variety of metals and high-performance alloys. The process is generally used for small castings but has produced complete aircraft door frames, steel castings of up to 300 kg, and aluminum castings of up to 30 kg. It is generally more expensive per unit than die casting or sand casting but with lower equipment costs. It can produce complicated shapes that would be difficult or impossible with die casting, yet like that process, it requires little surface finishing and only minor machining.