US Patent 7143514 Method for manufacturing a vehicular body panel

A vehicular body panel or component part having a reinforcing backing plate reconciled or joined to a part of a blank material at a position wherein a bending formation is implemented. The backing plate has one or more apertures formed in at least one lateral row at a location equivalent to the position of the bending formation. When forming the blank material and the backing plate concurrently by a bending operation, the backing plate becomes intimately associated with the blank sheet to avoid the backing plate from locally separating from the blank material and from forming a gap relative thereto, with a resultant improved product quality.