All language subtitles for Super Factories Series 1 Part 1 Inside the Tesla Gigafactory 1080p

Narrator: The automobile
is being reinvented

By humans and robots.

High-tech tools are ushering in

The fourth
industrial revolution.

Cutting-edge technology
is combined

With japanese tradition

To create one-of-a-kind
musical instruments.

And one of the fastest-growing
energy-generation sources

Requires hands-on attention.

These groundbreaking innovations
are all taking place

Inside some of the most
incredible factories

On the planet.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

In the desert just outside
reno, nevada,

An electric-vehicle pioneer
is on a mission

To change the world.

Since 2003, tesla incorporated
has been working

To accelerate the world's
transition to sustainable energy

By manufacturing electric
vehicles and energy products.

Tesla produces over
500,000 cars per year.

Their best seller
is the tesla model 3.

Launched in 2017,
the m3's sleek design,

Speed,
and technological capabilities

Are a cut above all its
electric-vehicle competitors.

Tesla's induction motor
is six times lighter

And 93% more powerful

Than a similar-sized
internal-combustion engine

Like the ones found
in standard cars.

Like it or not,
the internal-combustion engine

Is coming to
the end of the road.

And more and more countries
in europe and asia

Are set to ban all base fuels
in the next 20 years.

The automotive industry
has got the message.

And now most big firms
are hard at work

Designing electric models.

Narrator: A key component
of the m3 is manufactured here

At one of the most
technologically advanced

Factories in the world --

Tesla's gigafactory 1.

Construction on
this cutting-edge facility

Started in 2014.

At over half a mile long,
the current structure spans

Over 1.9 million square feet,

Housing approximately
5.3 million square feet

Of operational space.

And it's only 30% done.

Tesla's c.E.O., elon musk,

Believes that in order
to keep up with demand

And our changing environment,

Factories must come up with new
ways to manufacture products

Using sustainable energies.

So I'm really excited about
revitalizing manufacturing.

I think it's --
it's sort of -- it needs love,

And we're gonna give it.

Narrator: Once complete,
gigafactory 1

Will be entirely powered
by renewable energy sources.

Compared to a traditional
lighting system,

This factory is designed
with led lights,

Which will reduce power,

Saving 114 megawatts
of energy per month.

Inside, excess heat
from equipment

Like compressors
and high-temperature ovens

Will be used
to run equipment efficiently

And keep the factory warm
in the colder months.

The north-south axis
of the building

Was designed to maximize
the generation of solar energy.

The roof will contain
200,000 solar panels

That will expand

Across 1.8 million square feet
of the factory.

Since this facility
is located in the desert,

The solar panels will absorb
a great amount of sunlight.

But this super factory

Also repels
extremely low temperatures,

Thanks to its unique
water-cooling system.

Because of the way the air is
here in nevada, it's dry

And really hot during the day,
but it's very cool at night.

We do have a 10-million-gallon
water tank out back,

And it allows that water
to cool down.

Yeah, we use it
for air-conditioning.

A lot of the equipment
also requires chilled water

To operate, to keep it running.

We really wanted to get
to a point

Where this is going to become
a fully net-zero facility,

Leaving zero carbon footprint,

Creating products that also
leave zero carbon footprint.

Making factory sustainable
is really popular right now.

And if you're doing it
for economic reasons

And you've got so much free
sunshine in the nevada desert,

Why not use it?

For tesla, since they're making
gas-free cars,

It's really vital that
they are seen to be ultra green.

Narrator: But the key
to this factory's success

Is not only its unique
structural design,

It's also what's being
manufactured inside.

The tesla m3's
most vital component

And main power source --

The lithium-ion battery.

Battery technology

Is one of the most exciting
areas of research right now,

And all our mobile technology
depends on it.

To make electric cars a reality,

The key was to develop
the right battery.

This is a battery cell
that is being made --

That will eventually make
into a model 3 vehicle.

On average,
4,000 of these cells

In every -- in every
model 3 vehicle.

Narrator:
This super factory produces

13 million individual
battery cells per day

And that number is growing.

So what makes these batteries
so powerful?

Laughlin: The battery is really
a metal tube

Containing reactive elements.

If it's a rechargeable one,
when you charge it,

That incoming electricity
causes a chemical reaction.

And when you want to draw
that power out,

The chemical reaction
is reversed.

If it's a non-rechargeable one
like this --

This sort of battery is probably
in the remote control

Of your tv right now.

This is a one-way reaction.

This is a zinc
and magnesium oxide battery.

But those batteries we all have
in our mobile phones

And would be inside
electric cars

Use an entirely different
type of material.

They are lithium-ion batteries.

♪

Narrator: Inside gigafactory 1,
more than 7,000 technicians

Are hard at work
making these batteries.

But what makes this factory
truly unique

Are the several hundred
industrial robots

Working alongside the employees.

These automated machines
can move materials

Between workstations faster,
lift heavier loads

And stay charged
for up to 19 hours a day.

Some robots can navigate through
the factory using digital maps,

While others,

Like the autonomous guided
vehicles, or agvs,

Use floor magnets
or internal gps systems.

Tesla say that the gigafactory
was laid out

On a precise
north-south axis.

This is so it's easier
to plot the routes

That the satellite agvs
are going to take.

They're really
on a fixed path.

And so it's very predictable.

They're going to
the same location.

They're picking up
from one location,

Emptying off
at another location.

And what it allows us
to really do

Is have things moving
from inventory to line side

All day long without a whole lot
of human intervention at all.

Narrator:
The gigafactory is equipped

With highly advanced technology

That assists in
the battery-production process.

Before assembly,
multi-tiered conveyor belts

Sort and separate
the cells into batches.

A robotic arm arranges them
into a bandolier,

A long belt of cells
surrounding a cooling tube.

This prevents the battery
from overheating while in use.

♪

The 4,000 assembled
lithium-cell battery packs

Are placed into a metal shell,

Which will be secured
into the floor of the vehicle.

♪

Next, the wiring that connects
the packs to the drive motor

Is installed.

Unlike most of the automated
processes

Implemented at this facility,

This step is done
by human technicians.

There are places
where we started

With an automated solution

That didn't work as well
as we thought it would.

So we backed down and put
a manual operation in place.

Narrator:
Once wiring's complete,

The battery packs are ready
for shipping

To the m3 assembly plant
in california,

Where they will be installed
into the electric vehicles.

Although they're out of sight,

They're the most
technically advanced,

The most expensive, and the most
revolutionary element of the m3.

♪

This technology is helping
to shape our future.

And that's what makes
this incredible gigafactory

One of the world's undisputed
super factories.

Coming up...

This smart factory
is optimizing productivity

By utilizing the latest
automated technologies.

And later, one factory combines
modern technology

With japanese tradition

To create
a legendary musical instrument.

♪

Narrator: Located in gimo,
sweden, is sandvik coromant,

The world's leading supplier
of machining tools.

This high-tech
global-engineering company

Is at the forefront
of the metalworking industry,

Manufacturing cutting tools
and machining solutions

For over 200 companies
in over 130 countries.

Sandvik coromant produces
an extensive range

Of metal cutting tools

For a number
of metalworking industries,

Including automotive, aerospace,
construction, and milling.

Established in 1862
in sandviken, sweden,

Sandvik was originally
an iron and steel factory.

The company was founded by
goran fredrik goransson,

The first iron master

To implement
the bessemer steel process.

By 1871, sandviken's ironworks

Was the largest producer
of iron in sweden,

Employing tens
of thousands of workers.

As the world moves into an age
of rapid digitalization,

The manufacturing industry
continues to evolve,

Blurring the lines
between manual labor

And emerging technologies.

Today, sandvik has increased
its productivity exponentially

By incorporating
machines and robots

Into its assembly lines.

We are getting information
down to our machines,

Totally seamless and touchless.

Our machines are fetching data
from our main computer.

So there's no people
punching in some numbers

And codes or programs
into a machine.

Narrator:
This high level of automation

Has put sandvik at the forefront
of what engineers are calling

The fourth
industrial revolution.

Stirling: The first industrial
revolution was defined

By steam and water power,
the second by electricity,

And then in the 1970s
and '80s by computerization.

We're now in the fourth
industrial revolution,

Which has been defined
by buzzwords

Such as the internet
of things and digitalization.

It sounds good,
but what does it mean?

Well, primarily, it means
connecting devices in factories

And in supply chains
so that products and machines

And people are more connected
to deliver customized products

To the individual
in a mass-produced way.

Narrator: Sandvik is using

Fourth-industrial-revolution
innovation

To produce a cutting tool that
was invented over 250 years ago.

Gough: A welsh inventor by
the name of john wilkinson

Came up with a drilling device
for boring a hole

The length of the cannon built
from one solid lump of iron.

It was a complete success,
and the boring bar was born.

A boring bar is an essential
piece of kit for any engineer.

In fact, anyone that wants
to cut a hole in metal

Would use a boring bar.

Now, if you're using a drill,
the diameter of the hole you cut

Is always the same
as the drill bit.

But with a boring bar,
you can maneuver it

To cut a hole with any shape
and any size.

And a boring bar cuts holes

With absolute straightness
and accuracy,

Which you don't get
with a drill.

Narrator: The boring bar is just
one of 7,000 different

Standard tools made by sandvik.

So every piece of steel
in this factory

Is issued a unique bar code,

A code that will follow it along
the whole production process.

What we do is when we get
the steel

From our steel supplier,
we just shoot the barcode

With a barcode reader
on the packing now.

And then we automatically
download nc programs

And robot programs
to this machine.

Nc, or numerically controlled,
programs are the key

To the internet of things.

They can be used
to drive machines digitally.

They're able to instantly
communicate with one another

And follow coded,
digital instructions

To make a final product.

Narrator: Once the steel rods
are identified by barcode,

They're entered into the system

And the boring-bar
process begins.

This state-of-the-art
robotic machining system

Manufacturers the various shapes
and sizes of boring bars.

This incredible machine
works alongside a second robot

To continuously sort
hundreds of rods a day.

The first robot's custom
tool-management software

Communicates exactly
which set of bars

To place in the machine
for drilling.

Every step of the process
occurs automatically,

Eliminating the need
for manual intervention.

Before it took --
to make a set-up,

To change from one order
to another --

Took almost half an hour.

And now we do it
with zero hours, zero minutes,

Zero seconds.

It's done totally by itself.

Narrator:
And in this factory,

Sandvik has implemented
another innovative concept

That drastically
cuts down on production time.

♪

Narrator: In gimo, sweden,

Sandvik coromant
is the world-leading producer

And supplier of industrial
cutting tools.

This global manufacturing
company is at the forefront

Of the industry,
driving productivity

And innovation forward
into the next generation.

Their latest product
is a modern-day version

Of the boring bar,

A cutting tool first
invented in 1775.

And inside sandvik's factory,

You won't find workers out
on the floors.

Instead, trained personnel
work behind the scenes,

Overseeing machines and robots

That are programmed with
the highest level of autonomy.

These machines sort
and then drill steel rods

To create the various shapes
and sizes of boring bars.

Then automatically
guided vehicles

Transport the rods
to a multitasking machine.

It's a turn/mill machine.

We can do turning where we do

The profile
of the boring bar.

And then in the same machine,
we do the milling.

We mill the flats,
make sure that these are flat.

Narrator: First, the robotic arm
selects a tooling attachment

To perform the turning process.

♪

Next, it picks up the steel rod
and places it onto a lathe.

♪

♪

Once the rod has turned,

The robot switches
to milling mode.

♪

The next robot shapes
the top of the rod

Where the boring bar's
cutting head will be attached.

The shaping tool slices

Through the stainless-steel rod
with incredible accuracy.

Now that the cutting head
is shaped,

The rod is placed back
in the rack

And transported to the final
machining process.

♪

The bars are hardened for six
to eight hours in a furnace

At 1,598 degrees,

Hardening individual particles
in the metal,

Making the bars solid.

This step is essential
for boring bars

That will be subjected
to high impact

And heat during metal cutting.

After hardening, the bars
are cooled

And lowered into a bath

Containing
an anti-corrosion agent.

The anti-corrosion agent

Gives the bars a matte-black
protective coating.

Now that the raw steel
has been shaped,

Hardened and coated,
there's just one more step

To turn these rods
into boring bars.

This triangular insert
at the top

Is what gives the bar
its cutting edge.

It's produced from
one of the toughest

Of all man-made materials --
cemented carbide.

There are a number of
different scientific scales

For measuring hardness.

One is the mohs scale, but looks
at the ease or difficulty

With which you can scratch
a material.

So if something's a 1,
it's easily scratched.

If something's a 10, it's
impossible to scratch it.

And that's diamond.

But coming in at number 9
are cemented carbides.

Narrator: The key ingredients
are cobalt and titanium,

Mixed with ethanol, water
and an organic binder.

The mixture is dried,
powdered and crushed

With 26,500 pounds of pressure.

The resulting pressed inserts
are then sintered

At 2,732 degrees for 13 hours.

Once sintering is complete,

The inserts are ground
to size with a disc

Studded with 150 million
industrial diamonds.

The finished inserts
are inspected by eye,

One of the only stages
of this highly automated process

That doesn't require robots.

The cemented carbide
cutting insert enhances

The strength and stability
of the boring bar.

Laughlin:
They're very, very hard.

So they resist wear
as they're worked with.

But also they have
a very high melting point.

So they also resist
the temperatures

That will be produced
by the friction of wear.

Narrator: Finally, the process
is complete,

And the bar
is now ready for distribution.

Steps that once took
many manual working hours

Are now achieved
entirely by robots

In just a matter of seconds.

And this is a trend that shows
no sign of slowing down.

Stirling: The world economic
forum has concluded

That 2.1 million new jobs

Will be created
by new digital technologies,

Jobs such as
the design engineers,

Coders and programmers that keep
these sandvik robots running.

Narrator:
More than 70% of businesses

That invest in technologies

Like artificial intelligence
or 3d printing

Are not able to take projects
beyond their pilot phase.

Developed countries struggled
to compete

With low-cost economies

And increasingly rely
on digitalization --

Technologies such as 3d printing
and robotization.

But governments and industry
urgently need to respond to this

To create training programs
for those new jobs.

Narrator: But in the factories
of the future,

Companies like sandvik,
who are able to adapt,

Survive.

Coming up, one factory
is going back to the basics

To create a new sound
for the future.

And later, this high-tech
company is manufacturing

Energy-producing machinery
for a burgeoning industry.

Somara:
It's actually a game changer,

An absolutely staggering
feat of engineering.

It's the future,
and it's happening right now.

♪

Narrator:
Kakegawa city, japan,

Is home to the japanese
industrial giant yamaha.

Yamaha manufactures
a wide variety of products

Ranging from electronics
to motorcycles.

But in one area in particular,
they dominate the competition.

Yamaha is the world's largest
producer of musical instruments.

Their beautifully handcrafted
grand pianos can be found

In prestigious concert halls
across the globe.

At the yamaha factory,

Traditional japanese
craftsmanship is combined

With modern
manufacturing technology

To create this signature sound.

The process starts
with a master craftsman

Selecting wood panels

That will make the frame
of the grand called the rim.

[ speaking japanese ]

Thin sheets of wood
called laminates

Are glued together
under high pressure.

Laminating several layers
together provides

Much more strength than
just one thick piece of wood.

Once the layers of wood
are shaped and glued together,

The craftsman tap the panels,
listening for the correct pitch.

The rim is then set aside to
bond and harden for seven days.

♪

Once the rim is dry,

The craftsman begins
the strengthening process.

Dovetail joints create
an interlocking support panel,

Which will hold the soundboard,
strings, and keyboard together.

The reinforced rim
is then stored

To settle for another 24 hours.

Next, the rim is painted
in an electronic spray chamber.

Six coats of paint are sprayed
as a fine mist onto the wood.

♪

Once the rim is dry,

It goes through a final
polishing process

That gives it
the lustrous satin-black finish

That distinguishes
a world-class grand piano.

[ piano music playing ]

Such highly polished,
lacquered finishes

Are strongly associated
with japanese culture.

The term "lacquer" is used
for a number of hard

And potentially shiny finishes
applied to the surface of wood.

In japan, they've been
perfecting lacquering techniques

For thousands of years.

Modern lacquering techniques

Essentially apply
to the application

Of clear or colored surfaces

That are formed by solvents
evaporating from the liquid

And leaving behind a very hard,
robust, smooth, shiny finish.

Narrator: The next stage
of creating a grand piano

Is installing the soundboard.

A high-quality soundboard acts
as an amplifier of the sound

Produced by
the vibrating strings.

Yamaha uses premium-quality wood
sourced from around the world

To create their soundboards.

Like all wood used here,

The soundboards are seasoned
to reduce moisture content.

To prevent swelling
and shrinking

That could deteriorate
the piano's sound,

The wood is left to dry

In japan's first-ever
computer-controlled drying room.

Here, the moisture content
is precision controlled

And adjusted to the climate
of the region

The piano will eventually
be exported to.

On the top of the soundboard
are two attachments --

A short and long bridge.

The bridge plays a crucial role
in producing sound.

It connects the notes of
the strings to the soundboard.

♪

Piano makers call these big
cast-iron frames harps.

And just like the harp,

They're designed
to hold multiple strings,

But in this case,
over a piano's soundboard.

Once the heavy frame
is in position,

The pins that will hold
the strings are fastened

Into the soundboard
through an automated process.

[ speaking japanese ]

But attaching the strings

Requires a fast
yet delicate human touch.

It's a big job.

There are 230 strings
on a grand piano.

♪

With the strings now secured,

The grand moves to
the next assembly process.

Here the craftsmen work
on the underside of the piano.

Thankfully,
in this super factory,

Flipping a massive
musical instrument

Weighing over 2,000 pounds
is an easy feat.

It's now time
to assemble the keyboard.

And though the days of ebony
and ivory are long gone,

The feeling
for tradition remains.

♪

Narrator: At the yamaha factory
in kakegawa, japan,

Grand pianos are manufactured
using a combination

Of traditional craftsmanship
and modern technology.

With the piano's frame
and strings in place,

It's time for the keyboards
to be assembled.

Instead of ivory keys,
yamaha has developed

A specialized plastic substitute
called ivorite.

In the 1970s, piano keys made
from elephant ivory

Went out of fashion
because of conservation.

Some pianists say that ivory
keys just feel better to play.

They absorb sweat

And -- and they have
the right amount of friction.

So yamaha has tried to replicate
those properties

With a plastic alternative.

Narrator:
The assembled ivorite keyboard

Is effortlessly fitted
into position.

It's connected to the keyboard
and action rest,

Or what piano makers
refer to as the action.

When the keys are struck,

The action initiates
a rapid motion of small,

Felt-covered hammers
fitted on the keybed.

The hammers strike the strings

And the piano creates
its wide range of sound.

Back in the day, keyboard
instruments like the harpsichord

Pretty much gave
the same sound output

No matter how hard
you hit the keys.

And that's not the case
with the piano,

The harder you hit,
the louder it is.

It sounds simple, but it's
actually a game changer.

And that's why it has
the full name pianoforte,

Because in italian,

"piano" means "soft"
and "forté" means loud.

Narrator: Once the strings,
keys, and action

Are all in position,

The piano now needs to be
broken in through a process

That wears the stiff felt pads
to ensure a bright sound.

♪

This operation once took
many hours of manual labor,

But in this super factory,

This process
is completed automatically.

♪

This piano is almost finished.

The legs and pedal board
are attached.

And finally,
the grand's crowning glory.

The highly distinctive curved
lid is secured into position.

And it's not just for show.

Before electronic amplification,

Musicians relied on
the acoustics of the instrument.

Today, the lid
is still lifted outwards,

Reflecting sound out
towards the audience.

This grand piano is finally all
in one magnificent piece.

But before leaving the factory,
it needs to be tuned.

♪

Tightening or loosening
the tuning pins

Adjusts string tension
to get the correct pitch.

But to do it on the tightly
strung grand piano,

You need a wrench.

[ speaking japanese ]

Tamakazu nakajima tries out
this fresh, off-the-line piano

With his very own composition.

The next time it's played

Could be at one of the world's
top concert halls.

The workforce here is dedicated
to producing excellence,

And it's their ability to mix
tradition with modern innovation

That makes this factory
a super factory.

Coming up, this factory
is contributing

To a revolutionary project

That will transform one region
into a hub

For clean, renewable energy

And has the potential to power
nearly one million homes.

It's hard to argue that
they're not going to be

Essential in our future.

♪

♪

Narrator: Today, wind power

Is the world's fastest-growing
source of energy.

And increasingly the action
is taking place not on land,

But at sea, where winds
are stronger

And more consistent.

Somara:
There are big advantages.

One is that
there's loads of wind,

And two, for anyone that
thinks that wind turbines

Are an eyesore,

They don't get
to see them there.

Narrator: Britain is the world's
leading producer

Of offshore wind energy,

Accounting for almost 40%
of the global total.

The key to harvesting
all this sustainable energy

Are these massive
turbine blades.

They produce clean,
renewable power

With zero carbon emissions.

Just one turbine will save

250,000 tons of co2
in its lifetime.

That's the equivalent
of one jumbo jet

Flying around the world nonstop
for 329 days.

Narrator:
Due to their considerable height

And large blades,
modern wind turbines

Are instantly recognizable

And manufacturers continue
to build them bigger

And more powerful than the last.

Siemens gamesa
is the u.K.'s biggest

And most advanced wind-turbine-
blade-manufacturing facility.

Here, engineers and technicians
have developed

A 246-foot-long
fiberglass blade.

Its size equivalent to the
wingspan of an airbus, a380.

Smyth: One of the challenges

In making a blade
for wind turbine

Is that their shape is
controlled with great precision.

Older blades like those
on windmills

Will tend to be flatter,

Whereas new blades
on wind turbines

Are really aerodynamically
curved and quite complex.

Narrator: The blades are shaped
by hand in prefabricated molds.

The process takes technicians
up to a week to complete.

Once the molds are prepared,

A machine cuts hundreds
of sheets of fiberglass matting

That will make up
the body of the blades.

Laughlin: Fiberglass is
a composite material

That typically contains
teeny, tiny fibers of glass

That are embedded in a plastic,
embedded in a polymer resin.

But actually now it doesn't have
to be fibers

That are made of glass.

These fibers can be made
from bamboo,

Little bits of wood.

Other fibers will do the job.

So fiberglass isn't always
containing glass.

♪

Narrator: The first layers
of fiberglass matting

Are carefully
laid into the mold.

Then 800 sheets
are individually cut by hand

To a precise
computer-generated pattern.

It's essential that the sheets
are perfectly flat.

Any creasing or air pockets
will compromise

The strength of the blade
when assembled at sea.

♪

♪

Once the layers that make up
the blades' surface

Are fixed into the mold,

The team uses balsa wood
to add structural support.

The cell walls in balsa wood
are very thin.

And inside the cell, there's
a large proportion of air,

Which means that not only is
balsa wood quite rigid,

It's also very, very light.

Narrator: The layers of balsa
and fiberglass matting

Vary in weight and thickness

And are arranged
in a complex pattern

Depending on how strong
or flexible

Each section of the blade
needs to be.

It's an extremely precise
and repetitive process.

Next, the team
adds epoxy resins

To transform the fiberglass
and balsa into a solid

Yet flexible form.

To achieve this,

The top to the mold
is cradled in a metal frame

And carefully
lowered into position.

The two sections
are sealed tight

And the air is sucked out,
creating a vacuum.

The super-strength epoxy resin
and hardening agent

Is drawn
into the double skin mold.

When the finished blade
is removed,

It needs to be
hard and flexible.

Laughlin:
Glass has amazing properties,

But when you have glass
and little fibers,

Like fiber optics,

Actually it's really flexible
and relatively strong, again,

To its size and weight.

So when you take
those glass fibers

And you embed them
in the resin,

You actually build
a composite material

That takes the best of the resin
in terms of rigidity

And moldable material mass,

But then you add
in that strength

And the slight flexibility
of the glass.

Narrator: The resin
and hardening agent

Saturates every pore
of the fiberglass matting,

Eliminating any air bubbles
that could weaken the structure.

It's then heated to a high
temperature and left to harden.

So the final blade
of the turbine

Is itself a composite material.

You've got the glass fiber,
almost fabric-like matting, skin

That's then impregnated
with the resin to make it stiff.

But it's still really light,
which is important.

But then inside that,
then there's a layer of that

Balsa wood which adds rigidity,
but also a little bit of flex,

Which is really important when
you're dealing with a structure

That's got to stand
in the middle of the north sea

In a massive gale.

You want a little bit of give.

Narrator:
Once curing is complete,

The fiberglass blade is lifted
out of its mold.

This massive
246-foot-long structure

Can produce enough energy
to power 8,000 homes.

This is the widest end
of the blade.

This section will be assembled

Onto the turbine tower
out at sea.

♪

Now the walls of the cavernous
interior of the blade

Are thoroughly examined.

♪

Before the open end is sealed...

...A thick coat
of epoxy-based primer paint

Is sprayed over the blade
and left to set.

♪

Once the primer is dry,

The surface is sanded
to provide extra adhesion

For the final layers of paint.

Multiple layers of paint provide
essential weatherproofing

So that the blade can withstand
the unpredictable winds at sea.

It's taken almost seven days

Of intense,
handcrafted precision labor,

But finally,
this blade is finished.

The blades are transported
55 miles out into the north sea

To become part of the world's
largest offshore wind farm.

When completed in 2022,
the next wind-farm project,

The hornsea project two,
will provide enough energy

To power 1.3 million homes.

The hornsea project

Is an absolutely
staggering feat of engineering,

And it covers a massive area
of the north sea.

It's the future,
and it's happening right now.

Narrator: Once at sea,

The energy the blades
will generate is clean, green,

And will never run out.

Wind turbines are going
to become

An icon of the 21st century.

They are incredible pieces
of technology.

Narrator:
And all of the sustainable power

Produced
by these massive structures

Will be the legacy
of this building --

The u.K. Turbine blade
super factory.