Press apparatus

A method for assembly of a battery pack, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a press apparatus including a tooling table having an aperture formed therein, the tooling table including a plurality of index pawls disposed adjacent the aperture that allow components of the battery pack to be advanced downwardly through the aperture and form a stack of the components, the index pawls militate against the components passing upwardly through the aperture after the components have passed downwardly through the aperture, a first press disposed on a first side of the tooling table to advance the components downwardly through the aperture and past the index pawls on the tooling table, a second press disposed on a second side of the tooling table, the second press configured to retract a distance that the components are pressed downwardly through the aperture and maintain a substantially constant upward force on the components and the index pawls after the components have been advanced downwardly through the aperture, and a third press disposed on the first side of the tooling table and configured to compress the battery pack to a desired size and load after a desired quantity of the components have been advanced downwardly through the aperture of the tooling table;
• loading the components atop the tooling table;
• causing the first press to advance the components through the aperture in the tooling table, the second press retracting the distance of the components advanced through the aperture and maintaining a substantially constant upward force on the components and the index pawls;
• repeating the loading of the components and the advancing of the components through the aperture until the desired quantity of components is present in the stack;
• and
• causing the third press to compress the stack to the desired size and load, and thereby provide the battery pack.