What is radial stock?
Radial stock (or “radial stock to leave”) is the amount of material left on vertical or side surfaces (those perpendicular to the tool axis) after roughing. In other words, it’s the thickness of extra material on walls that the roughing pass intentionally does not remove, so that a finishing pass can come later to clean it up. For example, a radial stock of 0.5 mm means all side walls of pockets, bosses, etc., will be left 0.5 mm oversize after roughing.
Why does radial stock matter in CAM Assist?
Radial stock is crucial for achieving good surface finish and accuracy on vertical walls. Roughing cuts often engage a lot of material on the sides of the tool; by leaving some radial stock, you avoid gouging and you reduce tool stress during roughing. CAM Assist uses this parameter to ensure the finishing operation has material to cut and can meet the final dimensions precisely. If no radial stock were left, the roughing might leave a scalloped or irregular surface and possibly overshoot in corners. With proper radial stock, the finishing pass can uniformly remove the last bit and produce a smooth wall. Additionally, radial stock can compensate for tool deflection – during heavy roughing, the tool might bend slightly, so leaving stock means the finish pass will remove that error. In summary, radial stock is a safeguard for quality, and it matters for balancing roughing efficiency (you can rough faster knowing you’re not trying to hit final size) with final accuracy. Setting it too high is inefficient (extra cutting in finishing), too low might risk tolerance issues. CAM Assist typically chooses a reasonable default radial stock based on the tool and material (e.g., 0.25–0.5 mm or a few thou).
Where can I find / adjust radial stock in CAM Assist?
You can find the radial stock setting in the CAM Assist interface under roughing or advanced parameters. It’s often labeled “Radial stock to leave” (sometimes just “Stock to leave on walls”). By default, a value will be there (for instance, 0.2 mm). You can adjust this by typing in a new value. Increasing it means leaving more material on walls (for instance, if you plan a heavy-duty separate semi-finish pass, you might leave more). Decreasing it means less material for finishing (closer to final contour in roughing). Once you adjust it, CAM Assist will apply that in the next generation. You can observe the difference by inspecting the roughing toolpaths or looking at the simulation: the rough cuts should stop short of the final contour by the amount of radial stock. If you accidentally set it to 0 and notice poor wall finish, that could be a sign to reintroduce some radial stock. Also, keep an eye on corners – if walls are “missing” or undercut, it might relate to radial stock and tool corner radius interplay. But generally, this is a straightforward parameter: find it, set your desired wall allowance, and regenerate. CAM Assist’s finishing operations will then remove exactly that radial stock.
What are the other terms radial stock could be known by?
- Wall stock to leave
- Radial machining allowance
- Stock on sides
Related articles to radial stock
- What is axial stock?
- What is maximum corner radius?
- What does CAM Assist not finish certain faces?