Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, a capability the company says is intended to help customers move from plastic components such as coffee lids to fibre-based alternatives.
Undercut geometries are commonly used in plastic packaging to create snap-fit connections and secure closures, giving a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and its container. Reproducing that format in moulded fibre is technically demanding, and Yangi is presenting the new capability as a step toward functional closures made from fibre.
The company is demonstrating the feature with a coffee lid. According to Yangi, a precision-engineered undercut delivers 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 and maintained a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverages at 93°C.
Applications beyond coffee lids
Yangi says the undercut technology is also suitable for fitted closures in a range of packaging types:
- 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.
“Achieving this level of precision in dry-molded fiber requires advanced tooling and forming expertise,” said Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi. “The coffee lid demonstrates the performance we can deliver today, but the real opportunity is applying this functionality to a much wider range of packaging applications.”
Built on the Cellera platform
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 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 support consistent quality and functional performance.
“The challenge has never been simply to replace plastic with fibre,” added Yangi CEO Johann Kaiser. “It’s to make fibre perform at the level the market demands. Every new capability we develop reinforces fibre’s position as a competitive alternative to plastic by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to drive the transition toward fibre-based packaging.”
Showcase and scale-up
Yangi will display the undercut feature alongside other elements of its dry-moulded fibre packaging range at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht, taking place 10–12 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. According to the company, combining Cellera with the dry forming process is set 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 that uses renewable or recycled fibres.