The PKM-PI team of UGM Vocational School students Catur Wardana, Robertus Tirta Kuncoroadi, Arvieka Gusta Pramudya, Santi Rahayu, and Arya Amanda Putra created a batik dryer integrated with an automatic control system.
Under the supervision of Harjono, the team developed a tool that could solve problems for one of the batik centers from Kulon Progo, the Sinar Abadi Batik SME.
When the team visited partners, Sinar Abadi Batik SME revealed the problems experienced by partners in maintaining the stability of batik cloth production.
“So far, the production of our batik cloth often experiences ups and downs. The results are uncertain. Some days we can produce a maximum of 60 clothes a day, but other days only 30 clothes. This is due to unpredictable weather, which affects the drying process of batik cloth,” said Subi as the partner in charge on Tuesday (24/8).
Partners also explained that if the weather is predictable, you must still be careful in the drying process because the nature of drying batik cloth should not be exposed to direct sunlight and wind. Problems related to production are most severe during the rainy season because production can drop by up to 50%. Decreased production will also have an impact on declining turnover.
Based on these problems, the PKM-PI student team provided creative innovations by making a batik dryer that uses water heat for a heater.
Catur Wardana, team leader, explained that the heat from the water is processed through the system into hot air, which will be distributed to the drying room until the average drying room temperature is 42 °C so that the batik cloth dries quickly. The system is centrally integrated and can be controlled automatically.
“With the realization of this PKM-PI, it is hoped that it will facilitate and assist partners in the drying process of batik cloth so as to shorten the drying time and work efficiently, which has an impact on the stability of production results without worrying about facing uncertain weather changes but still maintaining the quality of the batik cloth itself. We also hope that many of these tools are made in other batik SMEs so that not only Sinar Abadi Batik SMEs can benefit from this tool,” said Catur.
