TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred Method: The method further includes placing the channel over a funnel before it is cut into an edge piece and the edge of the battery plate, where the funnel having an inlet with an opening which is large enough to freely pass the battery plate, and an outlet which fits into the open top of the edge piece; covering the edge of the battery plate with a fiberglass mat prior to inserting it into the edge piece; stopping the strip of material when the channel is in position to be cut into an edge piece; and restarting the strip when a battery plate has been inserted into the edge piece and has been moved out of the path of the channel. The step of bending causes the sides of the channel to be angled inwardly toward one another extending away from the bottom element. The bottom element of the channel is resilient so that the sides can be moved outwardly with respect to one another and return to the original orientation when released, including the step of spreading apart the sides of is the channel before it is placed over the funnel.Preferred Apparatus: The apparatus further comprises a funnel located in the assembly station which the sides of the channel fit over as the channel is fed into the assembly station, to facilitate the insertion of the edge into the edge piece. It further includes a spreader for spreading the sides of the channel as the channel is placed over the funnel. The funnel comprises opposed thin plates. The bending mechanism further comprises a plow, which deflects opposed margins of the strip inwardly toward one another; a forming roller which fits between the opposed margins; and a pair of pinch rollers one of which engages each of the margins and presses it against the forming roller. The deflector extends to the bottom of the trough. The support mechanism comprises an elongate roller that is positioned below the assembly station; and a stop projecting from the roller. The roller is rotatable between an engagement position where the stop engages the edge piece of the channel segment and a release position where the stop is removed from the edge piece. The apparatus also includes a resistance device that resists the rotation of the roller between its engagement position and release position. The resistance device is a counterweight.Preferred Parameters: The deflector has a width that is slightly less than the width of the trough. The width of the deflector is approximately two-thirds the width of the trough.