SOLDER PASTE INSPECTION SYSTEM

A novel inspection system for inspecting an article of manufacture, such as a printed circuit board, is disclosed, where the system includes a strobed illuminator adapted to project light through a reticle so as to project a pattern of light onto an area of the printed circuit board. A board transport responsively positions the board to at least two distinct positions, where each position corresponding to a different phase of the projected light. Also included is a detector adapted to acquire at least two images of the area, each image corresponding to one of the at least two different phases. An encoder monitors the movement of the board and outputs a position output, and a processor connected to the encoder, the board transport, the illuminator and the detector controlledly energizes the illuminator to expose the area as a function of the position output, the processor co-siting the at least two images and constructing a height map image with the co-sited images.