disadvantage of these previously known hemming methods and the machines for performing these methods is that a relatively large amount of power is required during the final hemming operation to adequately compress the flange against the inner panel. The actuators as well as the components associated with the actuators to achieve this high power during the final hemming operation also increase the overall cost of the hemming machines, their installation cost as well as their energy consumption.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known hemming methods and the machines for performing those methods is that the relative movement between the prehemming and final hemming tools and the body panel assembly is in a direction generally perpendicular to the plane of the body panels. In some applications, however, thereso that the coupon on the outer panel protrudes outwardly from the outer edge of the inner panel. The flanging side of the tool then first forms a substantially 90 degree flange on the coupon by deflecting the coupon laterally with respect to the inner body panel which is maintained in position by a back-up steel, and so that the outer body panel forms a bend line at its contact point with the inner body panel. Following the flanging operation, the prehemming side of the tool contacts the flange and bends the flange such that the flange overlies and is in close proximity to the outer body portion on the inner body panel. Finally, following the prehemming operation, the final hemming side of the tool compresses the flange