Techniques for controlling the flow of replication material (e.g., epoxy) during the formation of replicated optical elements include providing a transparent substrate (220) onto which the optical elements are to be replicated. The substrate (220) includes a structured UV curable shield (202) adhering to its surface. The UV curable shield (202), in turn, has openings (203) that expose portions of the surface of the transparent substrate (220) for replication of the optical elements. During the replication process, excess replication material (124A) may flow onto the UV curable shield (202), which subsequently can be cured so as to facilitate the release and removal of the shield (202) along with the excess replication material (124A).