Hi Ian & Ofer, You are comparing apples and oranges. In a PTV barrel strength is the issue and the Ni plating is quite a bit stronger than the underlying Cu plating; hence, "electroless [Ni] layer hangs on in there long after Cu beneath it has circumferentially cracked." In contrast, for press-fit terminations ductility is the required property; ED Cu is much more ductile than the EL Ni, hence Ni is a liability. Ofer, in your language idioms: What to you make of an expert with experience? Regards, Werner Engelmaier --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 -----------------------------------------------------