Hi Al Your photo showed no metallurgical microetch. You might want to do that. Since you didn't show the whole hole, we can't see if there was any tenting or plugging of the via. The microetch will reveal any attack on the copper hole wall from entrapped contamination. The contamination will be the result of insufficient protection of the via. This contamination will gradually eat away at localized areas of copper until the plating is too thin and then will crack. This is what your photo appears to be to me instead of the air entrapped during plating or board fab. Susan Mansilla Robisan Lab --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a 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/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 -----------------------------------------------------