1. A nondestructive in-process inspection method for automated composite material layup, comprising the steps of: generating a first control signal to control a digital infrared camera; sending the first control signal to the digital infrared camera; digitally imaging an infrared spectral radiance of an area of a surface of a composite material; and sending an image data frame to an image analyzer, the image analyzer performing the steps of: defining a region of interest (ROI) associated with the surface of the composite material, determining a threshold value associated with the region of interest, and analyzing the image data frame to compare a gray level value to the threshold value.