Methods of producing printed circuit boards

In a method of producing a printed circuit board, the steps of:

• providing a punch having a substantially planar surface and having first raised portions extending only a relatively small distance from the planar surface and having second raised portions extending a relatively great distance from the planar surface,
• providing a substrate having a substantially planar surface, the substrate being made from a material having properties of becoming recessed at the respective positions on the planar surface of the first and second raised portions and in accordance with the respective extensions of the first and second raised portions from the planar surface,
• heating at least the first and second raised portions of the punch,
• applying the punch with the heated first and second raised portions to the planar surface of the substrate to produce grooves in the substrate at the positions of the first raised portions and in accordance with the extension of the first raised portions from the planar surface and to produce cavities in the substrate at the positions of the second raised portions and in accordance with the extensions of the second raised portions from the planar surface,
• disposing electrical components in the cavities in the substrate, and
• disposing an electrical material in the grooves in the substrate in communication with the components in the cavities to provide an electrical continuity with such electrical components.

In a method of producing a printed circuit board, the steps of:

• providing a substrate having a planar surface and made from a material providing for the production of grooves and cavities in the planar surface of the board,
• providing a punch having a planar surface and having first portions raised from the planar surface by a distance in the order of three mils (3 m) to twenty five mils (25 m) to produce the grooves and having second raised portions to produce the cavities,
• applying the punch to the planar surface of the substrate to produce in the substrate grooves having a depth in the order of three (3) mils (3 m) to twenty five mils (25 m) to produce the cavities, which are deeper than the grooves disposing electrical components in the cavities in the substrate, and
• applying an electrically conductive material to the grooves in electrical communication with the electrical components in the cavities.

In a method of producing a printed circuit board, the steps of:

• providing a substrate having a planar surface and made from a material having properties of becoming deformed at local positions when subjected to heat and to pressure at such local positions,
• providing a punch with a planar surface and with raised portions extending from the planar surface and shaped to produce grooves and cavities in the printed circuit board at the local positions,
• disposing an electrically conductive foil on the planar surface and the raised portions of the punch,
• applying the punch against the substrate to dispose the foil on the planar surface of the substrate and to define the cavities in the planar surface at first particular ones of the local positions and to define the grooves in the planar surface at second particular ones of the local positions for receiving the foil at the positions of the raised portions in the punch, the cavities being deeper than the grooves,
• removing the portions of the foil at the planar surfaces of the substrate except for the second particular ones of the local positions,
• disposing electrical components in the cavities in the substrate, and
• disposing electrically conductive material on the foil in the grooves in the substrate in communication with the electrical components in the cavities.

In a method of producing a printed circuit board, the steps of:

• providing a substrate having properties of forming grooves and cavities at particular positions in the substrate when subjected to heat and to forces at such particular positions for depressing the substrate,
• forming a punch with first raised portions at individual ones of the particular positions to produce the grooves and with second raised portions at other ones of the particular positions to produce the cavities,
• heating at least a particular one of the punch and the substrate,
• applying the punch against the substrate to form the grooves at the individual ones of the particular positions and the cavities which are deeper than the grooves, at the other ones of the particular positions in the substrate,
• disposing electrical components in the cavities in the substrate, and
• disposing electrically conductive material in the grooves in communication electrically with the components in the cavities.