North Las Vegas, Nevada is the site of the first Hyperloop production facility.

Hyperloop One Metalworks is a tooling and fabrication site the size of two football fields which will house engineers, technicians, machinists, and welders. They will be building components going into a Hyperloop prototype set to begin trial runs early next year.

Hyperloop is a new mode of transportation that uses vacuum tubes to push capsules containing cargo or passengers between locations at speeds exceeding 550 mph.

Hyperloop One is the only company building a complete Hyperloop system right now. Metalworks is the big next move along the company’s plan.

Metalworks is equipped with state-of-the-art machines for accurately measuring the key materials and subcomponents of the Hyperloop system in a controlled environment. One such advanced piece of equipment will be Flow waterjet cutters that blast water at high pressures to cut any shape in any material at speeds of up to 36 meters per minute with an accuracy of 1/1000th of an inch.

“The facility is essential as we continue testing and is an incredible asset as we continue on the path towards making Hyperloop a reality,” says Josh Giegel, co-founder and president of engineering at Hyperloop One. “The equipment housed at Metalworks gives us the flexibility and freedom to build rapidly and develop the Hyperloop in real-time.”

Having an advanced machine shop allows the company to move more of its production and manufacturing research and development in-house, noted Giegel. “Metalworks is where we’ll be producing custom equipment and components that requires high precision and care, such as the components used in the propulsion system,” he added. “We’re proud to be generating new manufacturing jobs in the U.S., and are grateful for the help we’ve gotten from the city of North Las Vegas and the state of Nevada in doing so. We’re lucky to work with officials who stand for innovation and see the potential of Hyperloop as the next mode of transportation.”