Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, which is set to help customers adopt fibre-based alternatives to components such as coffee lids.
Precise undercut geometries are commonly used in plastic packaging for snap-fit connections and secure closures, where they create a reliable mechanical fit between a lid and a container. Replicating that format in moulded fibre is technically demanding. Yangi is demonstrating the new capability with a coffee lid that uses a precision-engineered undercut to deliver a secure and consistent fit, with a measured lid removal force of 6 N.
Hot-beverage testing
The 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 company is positioning the undercut technology for fitted closures beyond coffee lids, 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 achieving this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre requires advanced tooling and forming expertise. He said the coffee lid demonstrates the performance available today, but that the larger opportunity lies in applying the functionality across a wider range of packaging applications.
Cellera and FiberIQ
The undercut capability 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 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.
Johann Kaiser, Yangi’s CEO, said the challenge has not been 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 to plastic by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to support the transition toward fibre-based packaging.
Summit display and earlier announcement
Yangi will display the undercut feature, alongside other contributions to its dry-moulded fibre packaging range, at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Attendees can visit Stand 28 in the Networking Zone to view the Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience.
The announcement follows Yangi’s 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.