a method for inspecting and sorting a plurality of ic units comprising the steps of : delivering a frame containing said ic units to a unit picking station ; conducting a first inspection of said units during the delivering step and recording the subsequent result ; removing said units from the frame , and moving said units from the unit picking station to a flipping station ; conducting a second inspection of said units during the moving step and recording the subsequent result ; flipping said units to expose an opposed face said units ; conducting a third inspection of said opposed face and recording the subsequent result , then ; sorting said units into categories based on the recorded results from the first , second and third inspecting steps .