Patent ID: 7458318

Claim:
A stencil printer for depositing solder paste onto a surface of an electronic substrate, the stencil printer comprising: a frame; a substrate support coupled to the frame, the substrate support being constructed and arranged to support an electronic substrate; a stencil coupled to the frame, the stencil having a plurality of apertures formed therein; a dispenser coupled to the frame, the stencil and the dispenser being constructed and arranged to deposit solder paste onto the electronic substrate; an imaging system constructed and arranged to capture an image of the electronic substrate, the imaging system comprising a camera assembly, an on-axis illumination assembly adapted to generate light substantially along a first axis generally perpendicular to the surface of the electronic substrate, an off-axis illumination assembly adapted to generate rays of light substantially along a second axis extending at an angle with respect to the first axis, the off-axis illumination assembly including a light generating module and a lens configured to direct the rays of light, and a mounting bracket adapted to support the light generating module and the lens of the off-axis illumination assembly; and a controller coupled to the imaging system, the controller being constructed and arranged to control movement of the imaging system to capture an image, wherein the imaging system is configured to operate between the stencil and the substrate support.