His earlier experiments included an anthropomorphic rendition of the late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos born out of his passion not just for 3D printing but also for the man who transformed Oman to be the country that it is today.
This was followed months later by his creation of an anthropomorphic rendition of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik which was not only well-received by his friends in the art and creative world but also by his social network.
That early beginning filled with challenges now comes with its unique rewards as Khalid Sabil Al Raisi finally found a unique purpose for his creative talent through the launching of his company the Khalid Projects which specialises in creating props, masks, fans arts, figurines, statues, helmets etc.
For Khalid, all the years of toiling and taking risks paid off as his stall at the recently concluded 968 Gamez by Ooredoo was one of the most check out stalls in the gathering allowing him to showcase what he can do to different people whose interest leans toward his creative passion.
Khalid started 3d printing in 2019, with one printer, as a hobby.
“It was a way for me to be more productive and creative outside the work environment,” he explained. Back then, 3D printing was an interesting new idea to him. When he decided to buy a machine, it was all to test it out and see how he can push the potential of the machine.
While everything started out okay upon his purchase of the machine, he was immediately thrown into issues when the machine malfunctioned.
“I was afraid at the beginning because fixing the printers was exhausting and I thought at times was it a wrong decision for me to get it,” he said.
Khalid shared that when he decided to take on the endeavour, there was nobody in Oman who can fix the kind of machine he has.
"I had to understand the machine fully and learned how to fix it on my own the hard way," he said.
He didn't give in to the issues he faced but instead, pushed himself even more to learn everything including where to get the parts and partner with who could help him fix technical issues that were based out of Oman.
Today, Khalid now has seven printers, three for industrial use and a resin printer which is one of the newest in the country.
The process behind working in 3D printing needed many steps and sometimes it takes long prosses for Khalid to get the pieces done, some of the pieces take three months to finish.
“It’s not just print and paint. It requires a lot of sanding to make the final project look smooth and nice and presentable,” he said.
Describing his biggest projects, he shared, “I just finished weeks ago a model of Grendizer, which is about 195 cm of very heavy print”.
He added, “I used a big printer, and it took me about 6 months to finish it starting from designing, printing to sanding and painting which was the hardest part for me “
The Grendizer model was presented at the 968 games event held in Muscat.
One of the biggest works that also took him a long time to execute was working on a model of Sultan Qaboos' grand mosque with its complete details.
“It took me 200 satellite images, a lot of site visits to ensure all small details in it, presenting it in a new modern way,” he said.
When it comes to growing his business Khalid, described how visiting Comic-Con events each year has inspired him to be a part of its world and to build connections.
He said, “I used to go to Comic-Con as a visitor but the last time I went, I was the first Omani to be part of Comic-Con 2022. I was honoured to represent Oman.”
He added, “It was amazing and overwhelming to see people's reactions to my projects and the pride they felt knowing it was an Omani business, as 3d printing is still not familiar in Oman."
As one of the participants in Oman's biggest pop-art event, Khalid explained “I went there not only to sell but I was thinking to network with more people to see if it is possible to do these things in Oman rather than order it online” he added.
“I have so many upcoming projects and I will be participating in Comic-Con Bahrain by the end of this year. I will also be representing Oman in Kuwait and there are so many other upcoming visits to GCC countries and hopefully the world” he shared.
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