Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, extending the technology towards closures that have largely depended on plastic, including coffee lids.
Undercut geometries are widely used in plastic packaging to create snap-fit connections and secure closures, providing a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and its container. Reproducing that geometry in moulded fibre is technically demanding, and Yangi is presenting the new capability through a coffee lid application.
Measured lid performance
According to the company, a precision-engineered undercut produces a secure and consistent fit with a measured lid removal force of 6 N. The lid was tested through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes, retaining a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverages at 93°C.
Beyond coffee 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 and forming expertise
“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 the company can deliver today, while the real opportunity lies in applying the functionality to a much wider range of packaging applications.
The undercut capability builds on Cellera, a dry-forming platform powered by Yangi's patented fibre formation system, FiberIQ. Unlike conventional wet moulding, it forms fibre without a water-based forming step, which the company expects 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 to target consistent quality and functional performance.
Positioning against plastic
“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 to plastic by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to drive the transition towards fibre-based packaging.
Yangi will display the undercut feature alongside other elements of its dry-moulded fibre range at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Attendees can view the 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 set to reduce resource consumption and CO2 emissions by 70%–80% compared with conventional plastic alternatives, according to the company.
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.