An electrochemical cell includes a housing, and an electrode assembly disposed in the housing. The electrode assembly comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The housing is formed of a first case half and a second case half. Each case half is formed of a metal foil laminate material and includes a wedge-shaped central recess that is surrounded by a flange. The flange of the first case half is joined to the flange of the second case half along a seal line that surrounds the respective central recesses. The central recesses cooperate to define an interior space of the housing that contains the electrode assembly, and the interior space has the shape of a rectangular prism. The seal line extends along a diagonal of a side of the rectangular prism. A method of forming the housing is described.

A method for fabricating a double layer cup-shaped part may include shaping a first material into a hollow cylinder, mounting the hollow cylinder on a draw punch, where the draw punch may include an upper punch portion with a first diameter and a lower punch portion with a second smaller diameter. Mounting the hollow cylinder on the draw punch may include tightly fitting the hollow cylinder around the lower punch portion. The method may further include forming the double layer cup-shaped part by drawing a blank material through a draw die by placing the blank material over an upper opening of the draw die, and pressing the draw punch over the blank material. The first material may form an inner layer of the double layer cup-shaped part and the blank material may form an outer cup-shaped layer of the double layer cup-shaped part.

A method for manufacturing a vehicle body member from a joined sheet. The joined sheet is press formed into a vehicle body member with a predetermined shape by: welding a second sheet material to a first sheet material at a plurality of points including a first joint and a second joint separated from each other; press forming the joined sheet so that a ridge crossing an imaginary line segment connecting the first joint and the second joint is formed in a portion where the first sheet material overlaps the second sheet material; and before the joining step, forming a displacement facilitating portion, which facilitates displacement of the second sheet material relative to the first sheet material in a longitudinal direction of the imaginary line segment, in a portion corresponding to between the first joint and the second joint in the second sheet material.

A method for manufacturing a press-molded article includes: preparing a patchwork blank in which a thickened portion is formed by welding patchwork to basework; bending only the thickened portion of the patchwork blank; and bending a portion other than the thickened portion in a step different from bending of the thickened portion.

The invention relates to a method for forming an aluminium composite material which has a core alloy made from an aluminium alloy of type AA5xxx or AA6xxx and at least one outer aluminium alloy layer provided on one or both sides, wherein the aluminium composite material is formed and the outer aluminium alloy layer provided on one or both sides has a yield strength R.sub.p0.2 of 25 MPa to 60 MPa in the soft or solution-annealed state. The method enables the production of large-surface, heavily formed aluminium alloy sheet metal parts, in particular also in outer skin quality.

An electrochemical cell includes a housing, and an electrode assembly disposed in the housing. The electrode assembly comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The housing is formed of a first case half and a second case half. Each case half is formed of a metal foil laminate material and includes a wedge-shaped central recess that is surrounded by a flange. The flange of the first case half is joined to the flange of the second case half along a seal line that surrounds the respective central recesses. The central recesses cooperate to define an interior space of the housing that contains the electrode assembly, and the interior space has the shape of a rectangular prism. The seal line extends along a diagonal of a side of the rectangular prism. A method of forming the housing is described.

A method for forming a metal composite film for battery cells includes at least the following steps: (a) inserting the metal composite film into a forming apparatus having a recess; (b) fixing the metal composite film in place by closing a film holder; (c) preforming the metal composite film within the recess in a first direction; and (d) final forming of the metal composite film within the recess in a second direction.

A method for manufacturing a hot press formed part, includes: preparing a hot press forming object comprising a single-ply portion and a two-ply portion; heating the hot press forming object to a temperature range from an Ac.sub.3 transformation temperature of a base steel sheet of the first coated steel sheet to 1000 C.; press forming the hot press forming object to obtain a formed body, the press forming being started upon temperatures of the single-ply portion and of the two-ply portion being no higher than solidification points of ZnNi coating layers of the first and second coated steel sheets and no lower than an Ar.sub.3 transformation temperature of the base steel sheet of the first coated steel sheet; and quenching the formed body to thereby obtain a hot press formed part, in which the hot press forming object has a thickness ratio from 1.4 to 5.0.

A pouch-shaped case forming apparatus for forming a pouch-shaped case has a terrace step, wherein there are no dents or wrinkles at a pouch folding portion of the pouch-shaped case.

The invention relates to a method for forming an aluminium composite material which has a core alloy made from an aluminium alloy of type AA5xxx or AA6xxx and at least one outer aluminium alloy layer provided on one or both sides, wherein the aluminium composite material is formed and the outer aluminium alloy layer provided on one or both sides has a yield strength R.sub.p0.2 of 25 MPa to 60 MPa in the soft or solution-annealed state. The method enables the production of large-surface, heavily formed aluminium alloy sheet metal parts, in particular also in outer skin quality.