Patent ID: 7045245

Claim:
A method of making an electro-chemical fuel cell stack of a predetermined length, the method comprising the steps of: choosing a predetermined length for a fuel cell stack having a fuel cell assembly; compressing said fuel cell assembly with a predetermined compressive load; determining a compressed length of said compressed fuel cell assembly; calculating a difference between a length of space available for said compressed fuel cell assembly in said fuel cell stack and said compressed length of said compressed fuel cell assembly; removing said predetermined compressive load from said fuel cell assembly; positioning at least one spacer plate having a thickness generally equal to said calculated difference in said fuel cell stack; applying a compressive load to said fuel cell stack so that said fuel cell stack is compressed to said predetermined length; securing first and second end plates of said fuel cell stack in a fixed spaced relation to retain said fuel cell stack at said predetermined length, thereby imparting a compressive force on said fuel cell assembly after said applied compressive load on said fuel cell stack is removed; and removing said applied compressive load from said fuel cell stack.