As one of the oldest forms of casting in the world, investment casting has been used long before the industrial revolution or modern factories were in place. Ancient civilizations used this technique centuries ago; the fact that this method is still used today goes to show that investment casting as process has proven time and time again that it is one of the best processes out there.
The origin of investment casting dates back around 5,000 years ago when these civilizations made casts from beeswax. The overall process was similar to what we use today with only minor differences; they would create the cast from beeswax using hot tools, melted wax and a variety of shaving tools in order to achieve the right shape. From there the craftsman would add layers of ceramic and wax to create a mold based on the original wax shape. This mold would be used to create metal objects such as jewelry, religious objects or simply decorative pieces.
Today, the process of investment casting is very similar with the only difference being the tools and materials that are used. Molds can be made from rubbers, ceramic, metal or woods and even the final products can be a variety of different alloys or metals. So many of our common products are made from an investment casting process and have been for years, which goes to show that investment casting will be a solid foundation of civilization for years to come just as it has been in years past.