Saturday 07 / September / 2024
Muscat: The student company 'ECOF' from Dohat Al Adab School in Muscat Governorate succeeded in creating environmentally friendly and sustainable 3D printer filaments made from waste organic materials and bioplastics.
Iman Al Rahbi, the supervisor of the student company, told Oman News Agency (ONA) that the idea of the product came with the widespread use of 3D printers, which means an increase in the consumption of plastic filaments. This also created the existence of a marketing gap in the Middle East, as most companies import filaments from North America, China and others, which means that the product reaches customers at a high price.
She added that the yarns manufactured by 'ECOF' are characterised by high mechanical properties, which makes them compete with the best yarns in the market. They are environmentally friendly, biodegradable, and have a competitive price, which enables yarn suppliers to import yarns and pay additional amounts in the shipping process.
Al Rahbi stated that the chemical and mechanical properties of the product were tested, and the results were very promising. Other tests were also conducted to identify the safety and quality of the product, and the results proved its safety and readiness to enter the market.
She explained that the company faced many difficulties, as the creation of any product requires accurate knowledge of specialization, the search for experts, and knowledge of the necessary tests to ensure the safety and quality of the product for the user. She said that this is what they worked to achieve until they reached this innovation.
Regarding the company's future plan, she indicated that the company is working on an integrated production line to manufacture and export yarns, which will provide many jobs and support the national economy.
She stressed the importance of information, communication technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in promoting innovation, given the current great and accelerating global trend towards the latter two, and that they have to keep pace with this development.
Iman Al Rahbi stated that innovation has become a necessary requirement for all fields, as it opens doors for the individual to develop his skills, increase his experience and knowledge, and refine a personality capable of entering the labor market, which means that the individual will be able to work without the need for jobs, but rather will contribute to creating new jobs.
She pointed out that the company has marketed this product and sold it to some institutions in the private sector. In addition, she stated that they have contracts at the present time to provide this product, noting that the company registered the product to obtain intellectual property from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment Promotion, until a patent for the product is obtained.
Al Rahbi showed the importance of the student company's participation in more innovative exhibitions and competitions, as well as spreading the spirit of competition between students and those interested in innovation, as it represents an opportunity to benefit from the experiences of specialists and other companies.
She stated that 'ECOF' recently achieved first place in the Sultanate of Oman in the National Olympiad for innovations organised by the Ministry of Education. The company will participate in a global competition in the United States of America (USA) next May, where they seek to raise the flag of the Sultanate in international forums to confirm that Omani youth are innovative and creative.
