Kickstart: Do you want to 3D print a snowman?

Sure, you can create a lot of shapes with 3D printing. But why not pick something easy to recognize?

Our sister paper Rubber & Plastics News has a story on how Structur3D, a Kitchener, Ontario, company, used Olaf, a character from the animated movie Frozen, to show how materials such as silicone and polyurethane can be shaped in a 3D printer.

"I do a lot of development and testing and I get bored of making just a gasket," Andres Finkle, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Structur3D, said. "I try to think outside the box and ask, 'What are some interesting ideas?'"

Olaf is just a very small part of the story. Click through for more.

Expect to say farewell to that green-tinted Mountain Dew PET bottle. Same with any water bottles that carry a slight blue tinge.

Both governments and brand owners want to eliminate any roadblocks to PET recycling, and tinted plastic is one of those things.

Coca-Cola Co. announced Feb. 9 that it would switch to clear plastic for its Sprite-brand soft drinks. And a new report from California is calling for eliminating tinted PET from the recycling stream. The reported noted that both South Korea and Japan improved PET recycling rates once they banned the tinted plastic.

We may not have jetpacks yet in 2021, but a lot of car companies and suppliers think we're getting closer to flying cars.

Or not cars specifically, but autonomous helicopters or "robotaxis" that could be in the air by the end of the year, at least as prototypes.

Announcements about developments for flying cars are not new. Every few weeks another one seems to appear. Just this week, Volkswagen said it is in development for flying cars in China, while Daimler is involved with another program.

"The news comes as companies from startups to other global automakers are racing to develop commercial robotaxis, hoping to cash in on a market Morgan Stanley says could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040," according to a Reuters story.

Suppliers are likewise working to get their foot in the door.

Solvay announced Feb. 9 that it is supplying composites for Vertical Aerospace of Bristol, England, which aims to have commercial flights in 2024 that can cover up to 100 miles. Vertical Aerospace is aiming to have a pilot flight by September of this year.

Should we believe those promises? I'll hold off on making any predictions at least until any of these taxis actually take to the skies.