Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, a step the company says is intended to help customers adopt fibre-based alternatives to components such as 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 format in moulded fibre is technically demanding, and Yangi is presenting the new capability through a coffee lid demonstration.
Coffee lid demonstrates the fit
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 put through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes, maintaining a leak-tight seal and structural integrity when exposed to hot beverages at 93°C.
The company says the undercut technology is also suitable for fitted closures in a broader set of applications, including 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.
Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi, said that reaching this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre requires advanced tooling and forming expertise. The coffee lid shows the performance the company can deliver today, he said, but the larger opportunity lies in applying the functionality to a much wider range of packaging applications.
Built on the Cellera platform
The undercut capability builds on Cellera, Yangi's dry-forming platform powered by its patented fibre formation system, FiberIQ. Unlike conventional wet moulding, the process forms fibre without a water-based forming step, which is expected 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. Overall, the platform is designed for high-volume, cost-competitive manufacturing, combining precise fibre distribution with advanced forming technology to deliver consistent quality and functional performance.
CEO Johann Kaiser said the challenge has never been simply to replace plastic with fibre, but to make fibre match the performance the market expects. Each new capability, he said, 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 context
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 to Stand 28 in the Networking Zone can view the 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 expected 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.