Thanks, Larry. I am NOT a tool and die maker, and that's just the sort of input I was hoping to get.

I would plan to have them cut from sheet stock by waterjet, which would also cut the locating hole for the bending jig. So drill longevity would not be an issue.

The bends (a straight tab is bent into a U shape before being cast into the adapter) are buried in the plastic, and I wouldn't think there is much bending there. I suppose the tabs might bend where they come out of the plastic. Is work hardening and breakage likely to be worse than copper though? That is the question.

Scratching might be the biggest issue. I do understand that if I waterjet the parts I will have to sand (or do something to smooth) the backside of the sheet if I want to get rid of the slight burr the water cut leaves. If I do that, and then tumble the cut out tabs (before bending them) in a case cleaner with some sort of grit, would I be able to soften the edges enough to pretty much eliminate the scratch risk? (A waterjet cut will round the corners of the tabs slightly, so there won't be a 90 degree point anywhere, unlike the tabs I currently cut out of copper strip.)

Thanks for the reply. Any others out there?