MELBOURNE, FL -- The US PTO has assigned a patent describing a method of fabricating non-planar circuit board to a group of Harris Corp. engineers.

In the filing, Lawrence W. Shacklette, Louis J. Rendek, Paul B. Jaynes and Philip A. Marvin described a method involving forming a circuit board substrate from a circuit board material, positioning the circuit board substrate on a rigid structure having a three-dimensional contoured surface, then applying heat and applying pressure to the substrate to at least partially conform it to the contours.

If the substrate is cladded, then a circuit pattern is formed on the board prior to the steps of applying heat and applying pressure. If the PCB is unclad, then a pattern is disposed on the substrate after heat and pressure.

The patent number is 8,161,633 and was issued April 24, 2012.