Yangi has added an undercut feature to its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging, a move aimed at helping customers replace plastic components such as coffee lids with fibre-based alternatives. The capability extends the company's Cellera platform into closure designs that require a precise mechanical fit.
Undercut geometries are commonly used in plastic packaging to create snap-fit connections and secure closures, allowing a lid and container to lock together reliably. Yangi describes the format as technically challenging in moulded fibre applications.
Yangi is demonstrating the feature with a coffee lid. The lid has a precision-engineered undercut that the company says provides a secure and consistent fit, with a measured lid removal force of 6 N. In testing, the lid underwent 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes and maintained 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 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 achieving this level of precision in dry-moulded fibre requires specialised tooling and forming know-how. He said the coffee lid demonstrates the performance available today, while the larger opportunity is to apply the functionality to a wider range of packaging applications.
The undercut capability builds on Cellera, Yangi's dry-forming platform, which is powered by the company's 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 a coffee lid application, Cellera's four-second production cycle is estimated to deliver 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.
Yangi CEO Johann Kaiser 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 to plastic by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed to drive the transition toward fibre-based packaging.
Yangi plans to show the undercut feature, alongside other parts of 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 will be able to view Cellera dry-forming technology through an immersive VR experience.
The announcement follows Yangi's commissioning of its serial Cellera machine platform. The company says combining Cellera with the dry-forming process is expected to reduce resource consumption and CO2 emissions by 70%–80% compared with conventional plastic alternatives.