System and method for assembling and/or testing articles

A system for testing articles comprising:

• a first station that is adapted to test an article when it is disposed in the first station;
• a second station that is adapted to test the article when it is disposed in the second station;
• a conveyor assembly that is connected to the first station and that is adapted to move the article into, through and out of the first station;
• an electronic controller that is connected to both of the first and second stations, the electronic controller also comprising a database;
• wherein the electronic controller is adapted to allow the first station to be used to cause at least two or more tests to be performed in accordance with a first station testing schedule stored in the database on the article during a time interval of when the article is disposed within the first station and also is electrically connected thereto;
• at least one sensor device that is adapted to determine identification information of the article as it enters the first station via the conveyor;
• wherein the electronic controller is adapted to store test completion information provided by the first station in relation to the corresponding identification information in the database;
• wherein, if the test completion information stored in the database from the first station indicates that all tests in the testing schedule were performed during the time interval, then the electronic controller being adapted to update a second station testing schedule to confirm that no additional testing needs to be done on the article at the second station;
• and
• wherein if the test completion information stored in the database from the first station indicates that one or more tests were not completed during the time interval, then the electronic controller being adapted to update the second station testing schedule so that, when the article is disposed in the second station, the one or more not completed tests can be performed on the article to thereby prevent the conveyor from having to be stopped.