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Gamawarni is priced at IDR 300 million. (Photo: UGM)
YOGYAKARTA – The textile industry now has machines for dyeing fabric and thread using natural materials created by the nation’s children. The price is affordable so it is suitable for MSMEs.
The machine is the work of Gajah Mada University (UGM) and is named Gamawarni. With this new innovation, craftsmen now don’t need to use manual methods for natural coloring. “The application of natural coloring on textiles is done manually by craftsmen, manually because it is handmade. “This (Gamawarni) means the mechanization of industrial dyeing,” said Gamawarni Chief Researcher, Prof Dr Ir Edia Rahayu Ningsih MS ITU, Friday (10/11/2023).
It is hoped that Gamawarni’s reliability and efficiency will encourage a movement to reuse natural dyes. As a result, step by step Indonesia can reduce the use of dangerous synthetic dyes.
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UGM not only makes Gamawarni machines, but also provides standardized dyes with the machines. Similar to selling printers, there is a machine and there is ink. “We also provide a catalog for the types of dyes,” he said.
Gamawarni can be used for coloring basic colors, namely Indigo, Tanggi, Jolawe, Tegeran, Merbau, Sogan. However, this machine can be used for color combinations which can be secondary colors.
By using this Gamawarni machine, natural dyes can be used. Because the existing textile industry machines are not compatible with natural dyes. So why this machine was made is because Indonesia has natural dyes.
With the Gamawarni machine, natural dyeing can be done on a large scale because it can dye up to hundreds of meters of fabric without stopping. This machine is a solution for the industrialization of natural dyeing because when done manually it only has a maximum length of 2.5 meters.
Through research conducted since 2020, Gamawarni is aimed at MSMEs. Because this innovation can be redeemed for IDR 300 million. However, for the time being it can only be used for cotton and rayon fabrics.
(msf)