Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, extending the process to closure geometries that are technically challenging to produce in fibre. The company is presenting the capability through a coffee lid, a component where a precise snap fit must keep the lid secure while allowing controlled removal.
Undercuts are commonly used in plastic packaging for snap-fit connections and secure closures because they create a mechanical interlock between lid and container. Reproducing that geometry in moulded fibre is technically demanding. Yangi says its precision-engineered undercut delivers a consistent fit, with a measured lid removal force of 6 N.
The coffee lid was tested through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes. According to Yangi, it maintained a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverages at 93°C. The results relate to this specific lid demonstration.
From a lid demonstration to wider closure applications
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. The list covers applications where a fibre lid or closure must fit, hold and open in a controlled way.
Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi, said that achieving this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre requires advanced tooling and forming expertise. He added that the coffee lid demonstrates current performance, while the larger opportunity is to apply the functionality across a wider range of packaging applications.
The undercut feature builds on Cellera, Yangi’s dry-forming platform powered by its patented FiberIQ fibre formation system. Unlike conventional wet moulding, Cellera forms fibre without a water-based forming step. Yangi expects this to lower water and energy requirements in the production of renewable, fibre-based packaging.
For coffee lids, Cellera’s four-second production cycle is estimated to yield 300 lids per minute. Yangi positions the platform for high-volume, cost-competitive manufacturing, combining controlled fibre distribution with advanced forming technology to pursue consistent quality and functional performance.
Johann Kaiser, Yangi’s CEO, said the challenge is not simply to replace plastic with fibre but to make fibre perform at the level the market demands. He said each new capability reinforces fibre’s position as a competitive alternative by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed for the transition to fibre-based packaging.
Industrial scale-up and industry context
Yangi plans to show the undercut feature alongside other dry-moulded fibre packaging developments at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Attendees can visit Stand 28 in the Networking Zone to view Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience.
The announcement follows Yangi’s commissioning of its serial Cellera machine platform. Yangi says that combining Cellera with the dry-forming process is expected to reduce resource consumption and CO2 emissions by 70%–80% compared with conventional plastic alternatives.
In a separate development, PulPac licensee Hébert Group has partnered with Andritz to scale up production of Dry Molded Fiber trays and lids. The partners are targeting water- and energy-efficient manufacturing using renewable or recycled fibres.