Structure and method to fabricate tooling for bumping thin flex circuits

A method for forming a post plate blank for embossing a printhead flexible printed circuit, comprising:

• forming a post plate mold having a plurality of recesses therein, wherein each recess is a negative of a post plate post having a rounded contour;
• dispensing a material selected from the group consisting of molding compound, epoxy, thermoset, thermoplastic, and metal into the plurality of recesses;
• curing the material within the post plate mold;
• and
• removing the cured material from the post plate mold to form a post plate having a plurality of posts each having a rounded contour.

A method for forming a post plate comprising a plurality of posts for embossing a printhead flexible printed circuit, comprising:

• plating a plurality of exposed first portions of a post plate base layer to form a first post layer comprising a plurality of spaced first post layer portions, wherein an unexposed second portion of the post plate base layer remains unplated by the first post plate layer;
• plating a plurality of exposed third portions of the post plate base layer to form a second post layer comprising a plurality of spaced second post layer portions, wherein an unexposed fourth portion of the post plate base layer remains unplated by the second post plate layer, and each second post plate layer portion overlaps one of the first post layer portions;
• and
• plating a plurality of exposed fifth portions of the post plate base layer to form a third post layer comprising a plurality of spaced third post layer portions, wherein an unexposed sixth portion of the post plate base layer remains unplated by the third post plate layer, and each third post plate layer portion overlaps one of the first post layer portions and one of the second post layer portions,
• wherein each of the plurality of posts comprises a first post layer portion, a second post layer portion, and a third post layer portion.

A post plate for embossing a printhead flexible printed circuit, comprising:

• a base;
• a post array comprising a plurality of posts, wherein each of the plurality of posts is adapted to emboss a flexible printed circuit contact pad and each of the plurality of posts comprises:
• a first end connected to the base;
• and
• a second end connected to the first end and extending away from the base, wherein the second end is shaped as one of a semisphere and a paraboloid.