The inauguration of Dr. M. Sayuti ST MSc as a professor on June 14, 2021, became one of the series of peak activities for the 52nd Anniversary of Universitas Malikussaleh. The inauguration procession took place simply in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic that was still hitting. There were no excessive festivities, everything took place solemnly without leaving deep meaning, not far from the Dies Natalis theme; "Devoted to Reason, Awakening the Spirit of Diversity for the Country".
The invitees who attended were very limited, only members of the Universitas Malikussaleh senate and the extended family of Prof. Dr. M. Sayuti. The rest watched the procession from Unimal TV and Zoom channels.
In her scientific speech, Sayuti explained the results of her research that sounded a little technical to the general public, especially if they did not have an educational background or knowledge in the field of engineering. No wonder the audience needed high concentration to understand paragraph by paragraph.
The essence of Prof Sayuti's scientific oration is about the use of vibrating molds to improve the properties of metal materials. These molds are used in all metal castings commonly used in the automotive industry.
Then what is the specialty of the vibrating mold which is the object of Prof Sayuti's research?
Due to using a vibrating mold, its mechanical properties are improved. The vibration causes the tensile strength of the material to be more cohesive in every corner and every part. Conditions will produce metal materials that are free from porosity because the air trapped in the metal material is lower.
“With vibrating molds, the risk of failure becomes smaller. The potential for defects is also lower,” said Sayuti, describing the features of her research some time ago.
It's not limited to exposure to paper-of courses. To get the theory and methodology, Sayuti has been doing research for years with several failures in trials. However, like the normative of a researcher, Sayuti never gives up on failure after failure.
The use of vibrating molds looks simple but gives maximum results. So where did Sayuti get the idea of using a vibrating mold to produce a more perfect material?
Everything starts from the question and the thought of how to produce a more perfect metal mold. Many techniques can be used to produce better materials. Sayuti then took one of them, namely with a vibrating mold.
According to this father of seven children, previously there have been many theories and technologies to produce quality materials, but previously it was not in composites, but in other materials. With the developed vibrating mold, the vibrations are measured at a certain frequency. “There are tools used to measure. The point is, for this vibration to improve material properties,” Sayuti explained in simpler language that ordinary people could understand.
Staged research
Sayuti has started research on vibrating molds since 2002. Every time she does research, she writes journals in stages since 2010. About materials alone, Sayuti has published in 12 journals.
"Each journal has a different focus, for example in the percentage by weight of titanium carbon or in the frequency used," he explained.
The results of this research have been presented at international seminars, including in Istanbul, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, as well as in Guangzhou and Nanchang (China), as well as a number of other countries. Presentations at the seminar have been conducted since 2008 – 2011. Actually, Sayuti also received several invitations for this international research seminar but was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding the responses from journals and presentations in various countries, Sayuti said, it can be seen from the number of citations in articles (citations) which number in the hundreds. He admitted that so far he has not received criticism about the results of the research. "In fact, many invite them to discuss," said the husband of Cindenia Puspasari M.Soc.Sc.
Patent held by UPM
After researching vibrating molds since 2002, Sayuti came up with a new method for improving materials. According to him, that is the essence of a study that should get better results than previous research.
Although the results of these decades of research can be used in the automotive industry, so far there is no industry that is interested so there is no commercialization opportunity. "Only the benefits of citation are from several similar studies in the United States, Russia, and several Asian countries," said Sayuti.
Asked about the main obstacle in research, he mentioned that the tools were still difficult to obtain, so all stages of the research had to be carried out at Universitas Putra Malaysia (UPM).
"Until now, I still have a collaborative relationship with Malaysia," said Sayuti, who has worked with several foreign researchers.
Labs at Universitas Malikussaleh and other campuses in Aceh, there is no supporting equipment so it is easiest and cheapest to find lab equipment on the alma mater campus because it is not commercialized. However, the risk is that the patent rights for the research results are held by UPM.
But Universitas Malikussaleh was able to prototype it because it was a testing tool instead. There are several types of testing tools that can cost Rp 1 billion per tool. "This is an expensive one, which is only available at BATAN or at LIPI," said Sayuti again. Batan is The National Nuclear Power Agency and LIPI is The Indonesian Science Institute.
To succeed in research that takes years, Sayuti shares tips to not get bored and give maximum results. According to him, the risk of failure in research is definitely there and it is a part that must be accepted. However, he reminded researchers never to give up.
“Keep researching, failure is the best experience. Don't stop, keep looking for why it failed. Sources of failure must be assessed. That's the main attitude of the researcher. Then build communication with other researchers. Maybe from discussions with friends, there will be answers, even though there are some researchers who are not open to various information, “said Sayuti.
To avoid boredom, he suggested frequent conferences in various cities and countries. “If the conference has its time and costs money, especially during a pandemic, it is often vacuumed. The most effective solution is to the mosque. Pray and take part in the recitation, so that the dead-end disappears," he concluded.[Ayi Jufridar]
