Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, extending the technology to closures and components that have typically relied on plastic. The company is positioning the capability as a way for customers to adopt fibre-based alternatives to items such as coffee lids.
Undercuts are precise geometries used in plastic packaging to create snap-fit connections and secure closures, providing a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and a container. Reproducing them in moulded fibre is technically demanding, so the new feature addresses a specific barrier in fibre-based closure design.
Coffee-lid demonstration
Yangi is showing the capability through a coffee lid. The lid uses a precision-engineered undercut that the company says delivers a secure, consistent fit, with a measured lid-removal force of 6 N. It 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.
The undercut technology is also intended 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 larger opportunity is to apply the functionality across a wider range of packaging applications.
Platform and production claims
The undercut capability builds on Cellera, Yangi’s dry-forming platform powered by its patented FiberIQ fibre-formation system. 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 a 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,” 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 for the transition to fibre-based packaging.
Yangi will display the undercut feature, along with other contributions to its dry-moulded fibre packaging range, at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Visitors can see the Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience at Stand 28 in the Networking Zone.
The announcement follows Yangi’s recent statement that it had commissioned 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.