Hemming machine and method

摘要

A hemming machine has a single bending block (48) having a surface (48a) for carrying out a preliminary bending process and another surface (48b) for carrying out a final bending process, a lower block (14) for receiving an outer panel (16) with a flange (16b) and a mechanism for moving the bending block (48). The mechanism moves the bending block (48) in an arcuate way around a specified axis such that a force with a relatively large horizontal component is applied to the flange (16b) of the outer panel (16) when the preliminary bending surface (48a) of the bending block (48) bends the flange (16b) in the preliminary bending process, and then in another arcuate way around another axis such that a force with a relative large perpendicular component is applied to the flange (16b) of the outer panel (16) when the final bending surface (48b) of the bending block (48) bends the flange (16b) in the final bending process.