Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, a development the company says is intended to help customers switch to fibre-based alternatives for components such as coffee lids.
Undercut geometries are widely used in plastic packaging to create snap-fit connections and secure closures, producing a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and its container. Reproducing that profile in moulded fibre is technically difficult, and Yangi is using a coffee lid to demonstrate that it can be done.
Testing on a coffee lid
According to the company, the lid's precision-engineered undercut delivers a secure and consistent fit with a measured removal force of 6 N. The lid was put through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes and is said to have maintained a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverage at 93°C.
Beyond lids, Yangi says the undercut technology is suitable for fitted closures in snack containers, takeaway containers, dessert and ice cream tubs, confectionery packaging, dry and ambient food containers, and packaging for personal care products, cosmetics and consumer goods.
Tooling is the constraint
Carlo Semeraro, head of commercial partnerships at Yangi, said that reaching this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre depends on advanced tooling and forming expertise. The coffee lid shows what the company can deliver today, he added, but the larger opportunity lies in applying the same functionality across a much broader set of packaging applications.
Built on Cellera
The undercut capability builds on Cellera, a dry-forming platform powered by Yangi's patented fibre formation system, FiberIQ. Unlike conventional wet moulding, the process forms fibre without a water-based forming step, which the company expects to lower water and energy requirements in the production of renewable, fibre-based packaging.
In the coffee lid application, Cellera's four-second production cycle is estimated to reach an output of 300 lids per minute. The platform is designed for high-volume, cost-competitive manufacturing, pairing precise fibre distribution with advanced forming technology to achieve consistent quality and functional performance.
Chief executive Johann Kaiser said the challenge has never been simply to replace plastic with fibre, but to make fibre perform at the level the market demands. Each new capability, he said, reinforces fibre's position as a competitive alternative to plastic by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to drive the transition.
Demonstration and earlier milestones
Yangi will display the undercut feature alongside other parts of its dry-moulded fibre range at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Visitors to Stand 28 in the Networking Zone can view the Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience.
The announcement follows Yangi's commissioning of its serial Cellera machine platform. Combining Cellera with the dry-forming process is expected to reduce resource consumption and CO2 emissions by 70%-80% compared with conventional plastic alternatives.
Separately, PulPac licensee Hébert Group has partnered with Andritz to scale up production of Dry Molded Fiber trays and lids, with the partners targeting water- and energy-efficient manufacturing based on renewable or recycled fibres.