Bill - Ceramic particles (ie., DUST) can be generated by any type ceramic part rattling around in a loose or unconfined package. I have never observed these to constitute a functional defect UNLESS the chipping extends into a conductive surface or provides an opening into a cavity device. It takes some really extreme handling abuse to create these types of chips. The dust, however, can be a real nuisance if your assembly folks are working to class 3 requirements. Regards - Kelly ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################