Method and system for inspecting a manufactured part at an inspection station

A system for inspecting a manufactured part at an inspection station, the part having an optically reflective bottom end surface, the system comprising:

• an electrically-powered, rotary actuator assembly having a transparent window to rotatably support the part in a generally vertical orientation at the inspection station at which the bottom end surface of the part has a position and orientation for optical inspection;
• an illuminator configured to illuminate the bottom end surface of the part through the window with radiant energy at the inspection station to obtain reflected radiation signals which are reflected off the bottom end surface of the part and which reflected radiation signals travel through the window;
• a lens and detector assembly configured to form a bottom image of the illuminated bottom end surface from the reflected radiation signals at a bottom imaging location below the window at the inspection station and configured to detect the bottom image at the bottom imaging location wherein the window is made of a material which is substantially transparent to the radiant energy and the reflected radiation signals;
• at least one processor configured to process the detected bottom image to identify the part as having an unacceptable defect wherein the unacceptable defect indicates a part parameter or property which fails to fall within a range of acceptable values;
• and
• a system controller coupled to the actuator assembly to control the actuator assembly.