FeatureCAM file types

You can save several different types of files for your part.

• .op is the Manufacturing Operation Sheet and is the same information shown on the Details tab when you select Operation List.
• .tl is the Manufacturing Tool Detail Sheet and is the same information shown on the Details tab when you select Tool List.
• .txt is a text file containing the NC code for the particular part file.
• .tdb is a FeatureCAM tooling database that contains just the tools you used to create the part.
• .fdb is a FeatureCAM material database that contains the feed and speed tables used for the part.
• .cdb is a FeatureCAM machine configuration database that contains the settings for default attributes.

The filename of all files is the same as the part name. If you have a part called part, the files created are: part.op, part.tl, part.txt, part.tdb, part.fdb, and part.cdb. When saving the NC code you are given the opportunity to change the NC file name. If you enter a different NC file name, the default file extension is .txt. The file extension can be configured by the post-processor if the machine control requires a suffix other than .txt.

If a part has multiple setups, the Setup ID number is appended to the part name. For example, if you have a part called plate with three Setups, three different sets of files are created called plate, plate2, and plate3. So a .op, .tl, .txt, .tdb, .fdb, and .cdb file are created for each Setup for a total of eighteen files.