General Motors uses APS Lift Tables
to assemble Chevy Bolt.
THE SITUATION
Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the rise. Most car companies have entered the race to get their share of the EV market. General Motors has their future laid out in front of them, starting with the success of their Chevy Bolt. This car with a 259 mile range started off as the cheaper alternative to more luxurious EVs from other American automakers. As of now, the race is fully on to produce an inexpensive EV for the masses.
It all starts in production. GM needed a solution to getting the Bolt’s battery packs into the vehicles, which are being suspended on a rail system. These batteries are heavy, weighing in at around 1,000 lbs. – although that is just a fraction of our Hydraulic Lift Table’s capacities of up to 8,000 lbs.
The Solution
Floating Assembly Line
This portion of GM's assembly line is on rails, meaning the lifts are the ideal solution to raising the battery packs to be attached to the structure of the vehicle.
Movement
Our Hydraulic Lift Tables are attached to small transporters that move around the assembly plant, moving them to where they need to be at time of attachment to the vehicle.
Capacity
Align Production Systems' hydraulic lifts have a capacity of up to 8,000 lbs., allowing for the batteries to easily be raised into position.
See the Hydraulic Lifts in Action
The Result
By implementing the hydraulic lift tables, GM is able to efficiently position their battery packs under the chassis of the Chevy Bolt, making it ergonomic for technicians and engineers to assemble and work on the vehicle.
Video credit: “How the Chevy Bolt 2022 Was Made! [Factory Tour].” YouTube, uploaded by Kevin the Tech Ninja, 18 May 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zZ7ck5APok
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