METHOD OF MAKING A PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

The invention is a method for providing an electrically conductive path through a substrate. It is especially useful for electrically connecting together electrically conductive paths (25) on opposite sides of a circuit board (20). The method is characterized by the steps of forming a passage (21) through a substrate (20) that connects to at least one conductive path (25) on each side of the substrate (20), filling the passage (21) with an electrically conductive powder (10), applying pressure with a die (30) to obtain a compacted powder (11) in the passage (21), and then heating the compacted powder (11) to a temperature that increases the conductivity and ductility of the compacted powder (11) and its adhesion to the substrate (20) without adversely affecting the shape or condition of the substrate (20).