Shaun Kavanagh, Fraser HS Class of 1996. 30 years in automotive, aerospace, defense, and biomedical. Now building a manufacturing technology company 5 miles from where he went to school — and bringing it back to the classroom.
Before any curriculum discussion, before any pilot program — we want to come to Fraser and run a demo day. Free. No strings. Just Shaun, Liam, a drone, a 3D scanner, and a room full of students who will never see CTE the same way again.
Liam Kavanagh flies the DJI Mini 5 Pro over the athletic field. Students watch a real-time aerial photogrammetry map build on a laptop. The same technology used in commercial site surveys, film production, and infrastructure inspection.
Shaun runs the Einstar VEGA structured light scanner on a student volunteer or physical object. In 90 seconds, a complete 3D model exists on screen. Students can rotate it, measure it, export it.
The scan feeds directly into SOLIDWORKS. Students see the complete pipeline: physical world → digital model → manufacturable drawing. This is the workflow that runs every factory in Michigan.
Why demo day first? Because every CTE program we’ve talked to says the same thing: getting kids through the door is the hardest part. We’ve seen it ourselves — the moment a drone goes up or a scanner captures a face in real time, every phone goes down and every head turns. Let us earn the room before we ask for anything in it.
Michigan manufacturing is hiring. The problem isn’t jobs — it’s that the jobs require people who can operate physical equipment AND understand the digital systems that run it. CNC machines that report telemetry. Inspection equipment that feeds AI. Design software that talks directly to the shop floor.
The tradespeople who thrive in the next decade won’t just know how to run a machine. They’ll know how to read its data, adjust its programming, and connect it to the systems around it. That’s not a college degree. That’s a technical education that starts in high school.
Fraser CTE already has the foundation. We want to help build the next floor.
SOLIDWORKS parametric CAD, structured light 3D scanning, 3D printing material science, CNC toolpath fundamentals, and the complete scan → model → print → machine workflow. Students graduate able to operate equipment found in every precision manufacturer in Macomb County.
SOLIDWORKS Certification EligibleFAA Part 107 certification pathway, drone flight operations, aerial photogrammetry, intro to robotics and servo control, and autonomous system fundamentals using real hardware. The RC car → drone → industrial AGV progression mirrors exactly how KI’s own RigidDrive platform was built.
FAA Part 107 CertificationWhat AI actually is — not chatbots, but inference, pattern recognition, and prediction applied to physical systems. How sensors feed AI. How to read machine data dashboards. Prompt engineering as a trade skill. AI-assisted design review. The students who understand this will be indispensable on any shop floor by 2030.
Industry-Ready AI LiteracyWhy data ownership matters in manufacturing. What happens to a company’s IP when it lives on foreign cloud servers. Basic cybersecurity for shop floor environments. CMMC awareness for defense supply chain work. This isn’t theoretical — it’s a real job requirement for any shop doing defense work within 20 miles of TACOM.
CMMC AwarenessThe equipment isn’t a rendering or a proposal. The Einstar VEGA scanner is operational. The DJI Mini 5 Pro arrived March 31. SOLIDWORKS Design Standalone is licensed and commercially active. The 3D printer is running. This is a working technology company, not a startup deck.
As KI adds capabilities — autonomous ground vehicles, AI motion control, industrial sensor networks — Fraser students see them first. The curriculum doesn’t go stale because the company doesn’t go stale. Students in the program in 2027 will be learning things that weren’t possible to teach in 2024.
Liam Kavanagh, Director of Technology Assets, founded Titan Tech Scans as a teenager. Kathryn Kavanagh, Director of Digital Art, founded Glimmer Scan Studio. The next generation of this company is being built by teenagers. That’s not a metaphor — it’s a recruitment pitch.
Shaun joins the Fraser CTE advisory committee. Introductions, listening, understanding what the program needs and where the gaps are.
Shaun and Liam bring the hardware to Fraser. Live drone flight, live 3D scan, live SOLIDWORKS demo. No curriculum commitment required — just show the students what’s possible.
Working with the Fraser CTE department head and faculty, KI helps design one or two modules that fit within existing class structures. No overhaul — addition.
One RigidUniversity module runs inside an existing Fraser CTE class. Drone track or Digital Fabrication track — whichever fits best. Real students, real hardware, real outcomes measured.
Review what worked, what didn’t, and what the students actually engaged with. Build from there. No pressure to scale faster than the program can absorb.
30+ years in mechanical design across GM Advanced Vehicle Development, GE jet turbines, MRAP defense vehicles, and biomedical devices. Now building a sovereign manufacturing technology company in Clinton Township — 5 miles from Fraser High School.
Founded Titan Tech Scans as a teenager. Operates the Einstar VEGA 3D scanner and DJI aerial platform. Pursuing FAA Part 107 certification. The living proof that the skills KI wants to teach Fraser students are learnable at exactly their age.
Email Shaun directly to schedule the demo day or discuss the advisory committee role. We’ll bring the hardware. You bring the students.
shaun@kavanaghind.comKavanagh Industries LLC · Clinton Township, Michigan · 5 miles from Fraser High School
Kavanagh Industries · Always on