Yangi has expanded its dry-forming platform for moulded fibre packaging with an undercut geometry intended for secure closures and snap-fit connections. The company demonstrated the capability with a coffee lid, a format that has been difficult to produce in moulded fibre because precise undercuts are usually associated with plastic packaging.
The lid uses engineered undercut details to create a mechanical fit with the cup. Yangi reports a measured lid removal force of 6 N. In testing, the lid kept a leak-tight seal and structural integrity through 10 simulated coffee pours over 10 minutes with liquid at 93°C.
Applications beyond coffee lids
Yangi says the feature 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. These are target applications, not confirmed commercial rollouts.
Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi, said reaching this precision in dry-moulded fibre depends on advanced tooling and forming expertise. He said the coffee lid shows current performance, while the larger opportunity is to apply the functionality across more packaging applications.
Cellera and FiberIQ
The undercut capability is part of Cellera, a dry-forming platform that uses Yangi’s patented FiberIQ fibre formation system. The process forms fibre without a water-based forming step, unlike conventional wet moulding. Yangi expects this to lower water and energy needs in producing renewable fibre-based packaging.
For coffee lids, Cellera’s four-second production cycle is estimated to reach 300 lids per minute. Yangi describes the platform as designed for high-volume, cost-competitive manufacturing, combining controlled fibre distribution with advanced forming to pursue consistent quality and functional performance.
Scale-up and industry context
Yangi CEO Johann Kaiser said the challenge is not merely to replace plastic with fibre but to make fibre perform at the level the market demands. He said each new capability supports fibre as a competitive alternative by delivering the functionality, quality and industrial performance needed for the transition to fibre-based packaging. Yangi frames the transition as a performance challenge, not only a material substitution.
The company plans to show the undercut feature and other dry-moulded fibre packaging developments at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht from 10 to 12 November 2026. Visitors can see Cellera dry forming through an immersive VR experience at Stand 28 in the Networking Zone.
The update follows Yangi’s announcement that it had commissioned its serial Cellera machine platform. Combining Cellera with dry forming 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 production of Dry Molded Fiber trays and lids. The partners are targeting water- and energy-efficient manufacturing using renewable or recycled fibres.