Patent ID: 7171898

Claim:
A stencil printer for performing a print operation on a surface of an electronic substrate at a print position, the stencil printer comprising: a frame; a feed mechanism to deliver the electronic substrate to the print position and to remove the electronic substrate from the print position, wherein the feed mechanism delivers and removes the electronic substrate along a first direction; a stencil movement mechanism; a stencil, coupled to the stencil movement mechanism, the stencil having at least one aperture through which material is dispensed on the electronic substrate, the stencil being positionable by movement of the stencil movement mechanism between a first position in which the stencil is disposed over the electronic substrate and a second position in which the stencil is moved away from the electronic substrate along a second direction generally perpendicular to the first direction, the movement of the stencil between the first and second positions being achieved by the stencil movement mechanism along a common plane; a wiper adapted to remove residual material from a surface of the stencil as the stencil is moved to its second position; and an inspecting probe, coupled to the frame, to inspect a surface on the electronic substrate, the inspecting probe being movable to a position over the electronic substrate, wherein the stencil moves over the wiper while the inspecting probe inspects the electronic substrate when the electronic substrate is in the print position.