Welded blank assembly and method

A welded blank assembly, comprising:

• first and second sheet metal pieces joined together, at least one of the sheet metal pieces having a base material layer, a coating material layer formed on opposite sides of the base material layer, and an edge region with separate weld notches formed on opposite top and bottom sides of the sheet metal piece, wherein at least a portion of the coating material layer has been removed at the weld notches on each side of the opposite top and bottom sides of the sheet metal piece so as to at least partially expose the base material layer;
• a weld joint joining the first and second sheet metal pieces together along a weld region, the weld joint includes material from the base material layer but is substantially free of material from the coating material layer;
• and
• capping material overlying at least a portion of the weld joint, wherein the capping material includes material that was removed from the coating material layer before formation of the weld joint and was reapplied over the partially exposed base material layer and the weld joint after formation of the weld joint.

A method of making a welded blank assembly, comprising the steps of:

• (a) removing and collecting coating material and intermediate material from a region of a coated sheet metal piece so as to at least partially expose a base material, the coated sheet metal piece comprising a base material layer, a coating material layer formed on opposite sides of the base material layer, and an intermediate material layer formed on opposite sides of the base material layer between the base material layer and the coating material layer;
• (b) welding the sheet metal piece to another sheet metal piece so that a weld joint is formed in the region of the coated sheet metal piece, the weld joint includes base material from the base material layer of the sheet metal pieces but is substantially free of coating material from the coating material layer and intermediate material from the intermediate material layer;
• and
• (c) applying capping material to the region of the coated sheet metal piece so that it covers at least a portion of the weld joint formed in step (b) and covers at least a portion of the base material at least partially exposed in step (a), wherein the applied capping material includes at least a portion of the coating material that was removed and collected in step (a).