Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging. The company says the capability is intended to help customers adopt fibre-based alternatives to components such as coffee lids.
Precise undercut geometries are often used in plastic packaging for snap-fit connections and secure closures, creating a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and a container. Reproducing that format in moulded fibre is technically challenging.
Coffee lid shows closure performance
Yangi is demonstrating the new capability with a coffee lid. A precision-engineered undercut is said to deliver a secure and consistent fit, with a measured 6 N lid removal force. The lid was tested through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes. It maintained a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverages at 93°C.
The undercut technology is also positioned 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.
“Achieving this level of precision in dry-molded fiber requires advanced tooling and forming expertise,” said Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi. He said the coffee lid demonstrates the performance available today, while the wider opportunity is to apply the functionality across more packaging applications.
Dry-forming platform targets volume
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. Yangi expects this to reduce 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, combining precise fibre distribution with advanced forming technology for consistent quality and functional performance.
“The challenge has never been simply to replace plastic with fibre,” said Yangi CEO Johann Kaiser. “It’s to make fibre perform at the level the market demands.” He added that each new capability reinforces fibre’s position as a competitive alternative by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to support the transition toward fibre-based packaging.
Yangi will display the undercut feature alongside other additions to its dry-moulded fibre packaging range at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Visitors can view Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience at Stand 28 in the Networking Zone.
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, according to the company.