Patent ID: 7607331

Claim:
A method of hemming together the side edges of inner and outer panels by bending a peripheral flange of the outer panel over the edge portion of the inner panel to form a panel assembly; comprising: providing a press apparatus having a stationary lower platen for supporting the outer panel and an upper platen that is raised and lowered relative to the tower platen; loading the outer panel onto the lower platen and the inner panel onto the lower panel with the peripheral flange of the outer panel surrounding the inner panel and then lowering the upper platen to capture the inner panel atop the outer panel; hemming at least a first portion of the peripheral flange by a hemming die mounted on the upper platen and closing over the first portion of the peripheral flange to bend the peripheral flange onto the inner panel upon the lowering of the upper platen; and hemming at least a second portion of the peripheral flange by passing a roller hemming mechanism along the second portion of the peripheral flange while the inner panel remains captured atop the inner panel by the upper platen to bend the peripheral flange onto the inner panel.