Method and apparatus for clinched door design

A refrigerator, comprising:

• a refrigerator cabinet;
• a refrigerator door for providing access to a compartment within the refrigerator cabinet,;
• wherein the refrigerator door comprises a prepainted door pan and four corner brackets;
• wherein the prepainted door pan includes a prepainted front surface, four sidewalls members extending rearwardly from the front surface to form four corners, and an inwardly extending flange from each of the four side wall members;
• wherein each of the four corner brackets is connected to two flanges of the door pan with two clinches to thereby conceal the clinching from users of the refrigerator and to provide support to the prepainted door pan without welding.

A method of manufacturing a refrigerator, comprising:

• providing a prepainted door pan having a prepainted front surface, four sidewalls members extending rearwardly from the front surface to form four corners, and an inwardly extending flange from each of the four side wall members;
• clinching a plurality of corner brackets to inwardly extending flanges of the prepainted door pan without welding to form a door pan assembly;
• and
• assembling the refrigerator using the door pan assembly.