Molding thermoplastic materials for producing textured articles

A method for molding a thermoplastic material comprising the steps of:

• charging a plastic into a mold having a structure including:
• a core having bulk imperfections resulting from repairs thereto;
• a skin layer bonded to the core, said skin layer being formed of a plurality of layers, including a corrosion-resistant layer which is a phosphorus-rich region deposited on the core and an etchable non-corrosion resistant layer which is a phosphorus-poor region deposited on the corrosion-resistant layer, said non-corrosion resistant layer having been selectively etched to a uniform depth for imparting texture to the plastic;
• retaining the thermoplastic material in the mold for a time sufficient for the thermoplastic material to cool below its glass transition temperature;
• and thereafter ejecting the article therefrom.

A method for making a multilayer mold surface for molding a thermoplastic material into a finished textured article with uniform texturing comprising the steps of:

• depositing an insulating layer onto a core;
• depositing a first corrosion-resistant layer which is a phosphorus-rich region on the insulating layer;
• depositing a second non-corrosion resistant layer which is a phosphorus-poor region atop the corrosion-resistant layer;
• masking a portion of the non-corrosion resistant layer to form a texturing pattern;
• subjecting the masked mold surface to an etchant solution for a time sufficient to allow the etchant to reach the corrosion-resistant layer;
• and
• terminating the etching step thereat.