Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, a capability aimed at helping customers shift components such as coffee lids from plastic to fibre.
Undercut geometries are widely used in plastic packaging for snap-fit connections and secure closures, where a moulded lip and groove give a lid a reliable mechanical grip on its container. Reproducing that geometry in moulded fibre is technically difficult, which is why the feature is being presented as a step forward for the format.
Yangi is demonstrating the capability with a coffee lid whose precision-engineered undercut is said to deliver a secure, consistent fit, measured at 6 N of lid removal force. The lid was tested through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes and kept a leak-tight seal and its structural integrity while in contact with hot beverage at 93°C.
Closures beyond coffee
The company says the undercut technology is also suited to fitted closures in a wider set of applications:
- snack and takeaway containers;
- dessert and ice cream tubs;
- confectionery packaging;
- dry and ambient food containers;
- packaging for personal care products, cosmetics and consumer goods.
Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi, said that reaching this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre demands advanced tooling and forming expertise. The coffee lid, he said, shows the performance the company can deliver today, but the bigger opportunity lies in applying the functionality across a much wider range of packaging applications.
Built on the Cellera platform
The undercut feature builds on Cellera, Yangi's dry-forming platform, which runs on the company's patented fibre formation system, FiberIQ. Unlike conventional wet moulding, Cellera forms fibre without a water-based forming step, an approach expected 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 hold quality and functional performance consistent.
Yangi CEO Johann Kaiser said the challenge has never been simply to substitute fibre for plastic, but to make fibre perform at the level the market demands. Each new capability, he said, strengthens fibre's position as a competitive alternative by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to drive the transition toward fibre-based packaging.
Summit showing 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 Cellera dry forming technology through an immersive VR experience.
The news follows Yangi's announcement of the commissioning of its serial Cellera machine platform. Combining Cellera with the dry forming process is set to reduce resource consumption and CO2 emissions by 70%–80% compared with conventional plastic alternatives, according to the company.
Elsewhere in the sector, 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 that uses renewable or recycled fibres.