AIR SAVE, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malta, Msida (2026)

Compressed Air Systems (CAS) are heavily exploited in industrial automation systems, due to various advantages of pneumatic actuator uses. However, industrial CAS have a low energy efficiency of around 10-20%. Compressed air (CA) leakages, which are the most rudimental form of faults and inefficiencies, amount to around 30% of the total available compressed air. CAS are typically only maintained a

nnually or following noteworthy system failures. The project AIR SAVE aims to develop, produce, test and commercialise a smart system which improves the sustainability of CA systems and hence the competitiveness of manufacturing firms:

1. to develop an intelligent system to autonomously monitor and control air and energy consumption of industrial compressed air systems (AIR SAVE);

2. to deploy, test and analyse the developed AIR SAVE system and machine learning algorithms in lab and industrial environments;

3. to disseminate AIR SAVE results to industry, academics, students and the general public. This project is funded by the Technology Development Programme (TDP) of the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST).

24/06/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 🚀

Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of welcoming Anna Kurganowa from WIKA to the Engineering Research and Innovation Labs at the University of Malta, where we demonstrated the AIR SAVE system in operation.

The visit provided an opportunity to discuss how AIR SAVE can be integrated into existing industrial environments to characterise and mitigate compressed air leaks in real time.
👏🏼 It was particularly encouraging to hear that the solution was recognised as highly applicable to addressing one of industry's persistent challenges: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴.

We look forward to continuing to engage with industry as AIR SAVE progresses towards wider industrial and commercialisation adoption 🏭.

Partners: University of Malta, AIM Enterprises Ltd
Funding: Xjenza Malta Go-To-Market Programme

Paul Refalo, Emmanuel Francalanza, Massimo Borg, Jasmine Mallia, Peter Xuereb, Angelo Mifsud, Ylenia Grech Mifsud

18/06/2026

As part of the 𝐌𝐆𝐏𝐄𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 held on 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞, we presented 𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 and discussed our smart and sustainable approach to improve the efficiency of compressed air systems through 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

✨It was a pleasure to engage with a diverse audience of engineers and industry professionals. The questions and discussions following the presentation reflected the growing interest in sustainable, AI-driven solutions for industrial compressed air systems.

Thank you to MGPEI for the invitation and to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion 🙏🏻. We look forward to continuing these conversations and advancing innovative solutions for industry.

Partners: University of Malta, AIM Enterprises Ltd
Funding: Xjenza Malta Go-To-Market Programme

Paul Refalo, Emmanuel Francalanza, Massimo Borg, Jasmine Mallia, Peter Xuereb, Angelo Mifsud, Ylenia Grech Mifsud

19/05/2026

AIR SAVE held its first Industrial Advisory Board Meeting since entering the Go-To-Market phase, together with our partner AIM Enterprises Ltd. 🏭

Representatives from Teva Malta, TOLY Products Ltd, Trelleborg, Methode Electronics Malta and STMicroelectronics attended the session to discuss the progress and future direction of our product. 🤝

The feedback received was positive and the valuable suggestions shared will help ensure that AIR SAVE’s objectives continue to align with industrial market needs and expectations. This meeting further reflects the team’s strong commitment towards developing a robust and industry-ready solution for sustainable compressed air systems. 🌍

L to R: Angelo Mifsud, Emmanuel Francalanza, Jasmine Mallia, Massimo Borg, Paul Refalo, Yu Fei Goh, Ryan Valentino, Keith Abela, Olaf Zahra, Maurizio Cappello

05/05/2026

A few weeks ago, our researcher Dr Massimo Borg was invited to present his Ph.D. work at the Seminar on Sustainable Engineering held at the University of Malta . 🎤

His research highlighted AIR SAVE’s innovative approach to improving sustainability in industrial systems through advanced fault diagnosis and fault mitigation strategies. 🌱

We remain committed to further developing this solution and bringing it to market, contributing to more efficient and sustainable industrial operations. 🏭

23/04/2026

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming the European Patent Office delegation, including its President, Mr António Campinos. Prof. Ing. Emmanuel Francalanza provided an overview of our innovative concept, together with the next steps towards achieving commercialisation. 💡

This visit reflects the AIR SAVE team’s strong commitment to turning innovation into real-world impact. 🌍

We would once again like to thank the delegation for their time and interest.

20/04/2026

We recently joined the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth, Research, and Innovation for a Thematic Press Event which focused on the future of Energy. Parliamentary Secretary Keith Azzopardi Tanti emphasised the vital role that local research plays in addressing global energy challenges.

Representing our team, Prof. Ing. Paul Refalo shared how our project AIR SAVE makes industries greener by optimising compressed air systems and lowers both energy costs and carbon footprints.

Address

Department Of Industrial And Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty Of Engineering, University Of Malta
Msida
MSD2080

Telephone

+35623402058

Website

http://airsave.mt/

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