Method of forming a weld notch in a sheet metal piece

A method of forming a weld notch in a sheet metal piece, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a sheet metal piece having a plurality of material layers;
• (b) forming an ablation trench along the sheet metal piece by removing at least a portion of the plurality of material layers along an ablation path, wherein the ablation trench is defined in part by surfaces that oppose each other across the width of the ablation trench;
• and
• (c) removing a portion of the sheet metal piece that includes one of the opposing surfaces formed in step (b) to form the weld notch, wherein the weld notch is partly defined by the other of the opposing surfaces.

A method of forming a weld notch in a sheet metal piece, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a sheet metal piece having opposite first and second sides and a sheared edge extending therebetween, wherein material from a coating material layer along the first side extends at least partially along the sheared edge toward the second side in a shearing direction;
• (b) removing some of the coating material layer from the sheet metal piece along a pre-determined trim line location;
• and
• (c) separating the sheet metal piece into first and second pieces along the trim line location, wherein the first piece includes a newly formed weldable edge substantially free of material from the coating material layer and the second piece includes the sheared edge.