Tri-County RVTHS Grand Opening of the Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing Center - Mar 1, 2019

The Grand Opening of the Newly Renovated Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Center was recently celebrated on Friday, March 1, 2019.

The newly renovated Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Center at Tri-County includes a state-of-the-art hands-on learning environment with advanced manufacturing technology including machinery for cutting, fabricating and designing of metal parts with extremely high precision, down to the thousandths of an inch. 

Grand Opening

There are 3-D printers that some students have used to make plastic chain mail that may also be used for NASA purposes on the inside of spacesuits, along with robotics equipment. Students engage in the design, prototyping and manufacturing of products and devices providing them with opportunities to solve real world design problems, engage with industry standard technology, and transform concepts into reality. All aspects of the innovative training environment prepare graduates with the skills and knowledge to enter the workforce or pursue a college education in Engineering.

Tri-County RVTHS Grand Opening

Partial funding for the Engineering Lab’s Advanced Manufacturing equipment, which mimics the workflow of a real commercial manufacturing operation, was provided by a portion of a Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, State Rep. Jeff Roy, D-Franklin, State Rep. Betty Poirier, R-Bristol, State Rep. Brian Murray, D-Milford, and Senator Paul Feeney, D-Bristol and Norfolk, along with many area employers spent the afternoon walking through the new facility amazed of the progress being made. During a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kennedy, holding a small metal plate made by students to commemorate the occasion, said this is what the future looks like.

Official Citation

“To see the technology that is now here, to see the cooperation and collaboration of local businesses, to understand the skills that are being transferred to folks that are as young as freshmen, to build robots that have a better free-throw percentage than I have is amazing,” Kennedy said, pointing to the latest robot made with parts from the new lab. “I took a wood-shop class and I couldn’t figure out how to use a saw, and to be able to do this kind of work, it’s pretty incredible.”

During the ceremony, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Senate presented Tri-County’s Superintendent-Director, Stephen Dockray, with an Official Citation in recognition of the school’s Grand Opening event.

The newly renovated Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Center will expose students with access to a more real-world advanced curriculum with better computers and programming resulting in being skilled in a multitude of engineering and manufacturing fields.

Tri-County RVTHS, located at 147 Pond Street in Franklin, is a recipient of the High Schools That Work Gold Achievement Award and serves the communities of Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Plainville, Seekonk, Sherborn, Walpole, and Wrentham.