Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/15/immanentize-the-eschaton.html
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Frigging Maker hipsters. I bet their ICBMs probably have Arduinos in them or something.
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I imagine the CNC pep rally being sung to a Korean version of AC/DC’s TNT
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Raspberry BOOM
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But can they duplicate keys?
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Although North Korea makes many of its own CNC mills, it also acquires them from foreign suppliers who swear they aren’t knowingly violating the embargo, such as the Swiss engineering firm ABB ABB.UL.
The way that you phrase it, you seem to be implying that ABB are lying. But surely North Korea could have bought machines using front companies in China or on the second-hand market.
Anyway, you neglected to include the CNC song.
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But… I’ve checked Make: (https://makezine.com) - there is nothing on nukes or ICBMs…
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It’s on Instructables.
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In my opinion this is definitely the case here. In Europe export restrictions on high end CNC machines and high speed balancing machines are taken very seriously. Even second hand market is watched closely by government agencies (at least for high speed balancing machines). NK isn’t a big enough market to be worth taking risks.
Actually companies manufacturing high end CNC equipment implement prevention measures into their products to avoid getting second hand machines into embargoed countries. For example DMG-Mori has accelerometers and GPS on their high-end machines that renders them nonoperational when moved. Getting machine operational again requires visit by company’s service person.
I think that NK’s progress in this is due to availability of high quality machine components of mostly Chinese origin. For example good milling machine spindle with automatic tool change and ceramic bearings can be had for as low as 700$. Precise ball screws and linear guideways, servomotors, automation components and VFD’s are available just as easily.
I own small CNC-machining company and this was awkward to watch 
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“Let us build science-technology paradise. Happiness runs over us like a wave!”
This sounds like higher education policy nowadays in the US.
Come on, a bunch of 555s should be enough.
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Does this mean they also 3d print their rockets?
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No, it means they use their teams of elite hackers to 3D print the bombs in other people’s printers, already at the destination. Missiles no longer required!
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The only way to stop bad guys with CNCs is to put a CNC into the hands of all the good guys. Get on it our government. To save the free world.
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2025:
boingboing.Warnermedia.corpnet
The Internet of Bombs
Yet another KuerigHeinz coffee maker was remote hacked into brewing hexaflourine explosives yesterday, resulting in thirteen deaths
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Can you build CNCs with CNCs?
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Yes
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No Amazon link?
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ubiquitous makerspace staples
Sure, but there’s a big difference between your local maker’s Tormach and, say, a multi-axis live tooled CNC lathe. I’m guessing NK has a few of the latter.
Hundreds of dancers in luminous orange and green performed the CNC pop song, titled “Break through the cutting edge,”
Isn’t breaking through the cutting edge something to avoid in machining?
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Our first machine was made mostly using conventional non-CNC machines( including 32 ton shaper with 6m long table ), but later it was making new parts for itself and for other CNC machines 
Precision parts (linear guideways and ballscrews) could not be manufactured easily and are made by Hiwin. We also used ELTE spindle made in Italy.
Now we are making new machine, with 3x2 m, 5.5 ton cast iron table. Most of the smaller parts, including linear motors will be made on our previous machine. Large parts will be made on that monstrous shaper again.
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