Patent ID: 6929733

Claim:
A method for making a sacrificial plastic mold having an electroplatable backing comprised of a perforated metal substrate, the method comprising the steps of: a) infusing a non-conducting thermoplastic material through the perforated metal substrate into a patterned surface of a tool, that is optionally provided as a tooled mold, so as to conform to the pattern thereof, resulting in microscale features formed from the non-conducting thermoplastic material; b) separating the tool from said perforated metal substrate and said infused non-conducting thermoplastic material to provide the sacrificial plastic mold having the perforated metal substrate embedded in the non-conducting thermoplastic material which provides an electroplatable surface and having the microscale features formed from the non-conducting thermoplastic material projecting from the combined surfaces of the non-conducting thermoplastic material and the perforated metal substrate and mold cavities therebetween; and c) using the perforated metal substrate in electroplating the microscale features of the sacrificial plastic mold.