New Forming Technology Targets Secure Fibre Packaging Closures

Yangi has introduced a feature that enables locking profiles to be formed in dry-moulded fibre packaging. The company is demonstrating the technology with a coffee lid that it says maintains a secure fit and leak-tight seal when exposed to hot drinks.

The feature uses an undercut, a shaped profile that grips around an edge to hold a closure in place. Such designs are widely used for snap-fit plastic lids but are technically challenging to manufacture in moulded fibre.

According to Packaging Europe, Yangi has now incorporated this capability into its dry-forming platform for fibre packaging.

Tested with drinks at 93°C

According to Yangi, the coffee lid has a measured removal force of six newtons, indicating the force required to pull it off the cup.

The company reports that the lid maintained its seal and structural integrity during ten simulated pours over ten minutes when exposed to a beverage at 93°C.

Potential applications extend beyond coffee lids to packaging for takeaway food, snacks, ice cream, desserts and cosmetics.

– The coffee lid demonstrates the performance we can deliver today, but the real opportunity is applying this functionality to a much wider range of packaging applications, said Carlo Semeraro, head of Commercial Partnerships at Yangi.

Forming without a water-based step

The feature builds on Yangi’s Cellera machine platform and its patented fibre formation system, FiberIQ.

Unlike conventional wet moulding, the process forms fibre without a water-based forming step. According to the company, this can reduce manufacturing demand for water and energy.

For coffee lids, Yangi estimates that a four-second production cycle can deliver an output of 300 lids per minute. The platform is designed for high-volume manufacturing with consistent fibre distribution and product quality.

Presentation planned in Utrecht

Yangi plans to present the feature at the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht on 10–12 November 2026.

CEO Johann Kaiser said the transition to fibre packaging depends on meeting the market’s functional requirements.

– The challenge has never been simply to replace plastic with fibre. It’s to make fibre perform at the level the market demands, he said.

Source: PulPaper News