The RobbJack catalog as a native NX tool database.
One 5.5 MB ASCII file in NX's own tool_database.dat format: 6,745 end mills and slitting saws with exact geometry — and 12,307 "RobbJack tested" cutting-data rows riding along, so every tool arrives with proven starting speeds and feeds.
- tools in the library
- 6,745
- end mills
- 5,262
- slitting saws
- 1,483
- tested cutting-data rows
- 12,307
What the file is
robbjack-nx-tool-database.dat is NX's native ASCII tool-library format — the same pipe-delimited FORMAT/DATA record structure as the tool_database.dat that ships under MACH\resource\library\tool in every NX install:
- Every record uses NX's standard END_MILL_NON_INDEXABLE class layout (35 fields), so it merges into your existing library without remapping columns.
- Diameter, flute count, length, flute length, corner radius, and shank come from the same ISO 13399 spec source as our master catalog. A ball nose is published exactly: COR1 = DIA/2.
- All values are decimal inches (metric tools converted exactly) — built for the inch/“english” ASCII library; NX converts dimensions to your part's units when you retrieve a tool.
- Librefs are stable, RJ_-prefixed part numbers (RJ_A1_201_04), so updates replace cleanly instead of duplicating — and every record's comment links back to its RobbJack product page for CAD, live pricing, and full specs.
- Tool material is flagged as solid carbide (MATREF TMC0_00002, the reference shipped in NX's tool-materials library).
The embedded tested cutting data
6,733 of the 6,745 tools carry cutting-data comment rows computed by the same speeds & feeds engine that powers this site — per tool, at its real diameter and flute count, for up to three materials the tool was designed for:
# A1-201-08 - 0.25-in Dia 2-Flute End Mill ... # RobbJack tested (roughing, profile, rigid) # 6061(T4-T6) Aluminum: 3930 SFM, 60000 RPM, # 0.0064 in/tooth, 768 in/min, WOC 0.125 in, # DOC 0.25 in DATA | RJ_A1_201_08 | 02 | 01 | 01 | 01 | ...
Honest note: the data rides as # comment lines NX ignores — notas a Machining Data Library file. NX's MDL ASCII format isn't publicly documented field-by-field, and a malformed MDL breaks feeds lookups shop-wide, so we only ship what we could verify. The numbers are starting values at RobbJack's recommended ceilings: dial the RPM to your spindle, keep the chip load, and prove it on your part. For a cut-specific recommendation, use the Speeds & Feeds Calculator.
How to install it — about five minutes
The documented NX ASCII-library merge workflow. Back up first.
Download the library and back up your tool database
Download robbjack-nx-tool-database.dat (5.5 MB) — a plain ASCII text file. Then make a copy of your current tool_database.dat before touching it; it's your whole shop's tool library.
Locate your NX ASCII tool library
The default inch library is <NX install folder>\MACH\resource\library\tool\english\tool_database.dat. If your site relocated it, the folder in use is wherever the UGII_CAM_LIBRARY_TOOL_ASCII_DIR environment variable points. (Sites on the Teamcenter-managed MRL instead of ASCII files: hand this file to your library administrator.)
Paste the RobbJack records into tool_database.dat
Open both files in a text editor. In the RobbJack file, select everything from the "#CLASS END_MILL_NON_INDEXABLE" line to the end, and paste it at the bottom of your tool_database.dat. The block carries its own FORMAT line in NX's standard END_MILL_NON_INDEXABLE layout, so it drops in cleanly; the # comment lines (with RobbJack's tested cutting data) are optional and ignored by NX.
Save, restart NX, and retrieve tools
Save the file and restart NX (it reads the library at session start). In a CAM setup, create or edit a tool and choose Retrieve Tool from Library, class Milling > End mill (non indexable) — search the Libref for "RJ_" or the Description for "RobbJack" and your part number.
After install: every RobbJack tool retrieves with its geometry filled in and its part number in the description. The cutting data sits in the file right above each record — and each tool's comment links to its page here for CAD, live pricing, and the full spec sheet.
Troubleshooting
- NX doesn't show the RobbJack tools after I merged the file
- NX reads the ASCII library at session start — restart NX after saving tool_database.dat. If they're still missing, confirm you edited the library NX actually uses: check where UGII_CAM_LIBRARY_TOOL_ASCII_DIR points (your site may have relocated it away from the install's MACH\resource\library\tool\english folder), and make sure your CAM configuration uses the ASCII tool library rather than the Teamcenter-managed MRL.
- My library is metric (values in mm) — can I still use this file?
- The file's values are decimal inches, built for the inch ("english") library. Don't paste inch records into a mm-unit tool_database.dat — the numbers would be read as millimeters. Keep the inch library active (NX converts tool dimensions to your part's units on retrieval), or ask us for help converting: the master catalog carries every value in both units.
- NX complains about a record, or a tool imports with odd values
- The usual cause is a partial paste — every DATA line must sit below a FORMAT line with the same number of fields (ours has 35, matching NX's standard END_MILL_NON_INDEXABLE layout). Re-paste the whole RobbJack block, from the #CLASS comment to the end of the file, and don't reflow or re-wrap lines: one record per line.
- A cutting-data RPM is higher than my spindle allows
- That's by design — the comments carry RobbJack's recommended data at generous ceilings, not your machine's limits. Run your spindle's max RPM and keep the chip load (in/tooth); recompute the feed as RPM x flutes x chip load.
Still stuck? Talk to an application engineer →
Siemens NX library FAQ
Which NX versions does the RobbJack library work in?
The file uses NX's native ASCII tool-database format — the FORMAT/DATA record structure and the END_MILL_NON_INDEXABLE field layout that have shipped with NX's ASCII tool library across releases (the same tool_database.dat mechanism documented from NX 3 through current NX). If Siemens changes the class FORMAT in a future release, NX's own Convert Tool Library utility (Menu > Tools) migrates .dat files forward; our records ride along like any other library entries.
Is the RobbJack tested cutting data safe to run as-is?
It's tested starting values, not guarantees. Every record's comment block carries speed, feed, chip load, and engagement for up to three materials, computed by the same RobbJack speeds & feeds engine that powers this site — per tool, at its real diameter and flute count, assuming a rigid setup. The RPMs are published at RobbJack's recommended ceilings: if a number exceeds your spindle, run your spindle's max and keep the chip load. Prove the numbers on your part, and use the Speeds & Feeds Calculator for a cut-specific recommendation.
Why is the cutting data in comments instead of NX's Machining Data Library?
Deliberate honesty about formats. NX's feeds/speeds live in separate MDL ASCII files (feeds_speeds.dat and friends) whose internal record layout Siemens doesn't publicly document field-by-field — and a malformed MDL breaks automatic feeds lookups for every tool in the shop, not just ours. We only ship layouts we could verify. The geometry records use the fully documented tool-database format; the cutting data rides as # comments NX ignores and machinists read. If you maintain your own MDL, NX's Edit Machining Data Libraries dialog imports CSV — our numbers are right there in the file to copy in.
Why do slitting saws import as 5-parameter end mills?
The library carries 1,483 slitting saws alongside 5,262 end mills. NX's ASCII library has no publicly documented slitting-saw class layout, so each saw publishes as a 5-parameter mill with exact cutting geometry: DIA is the saw's outside diameter, FLEN and HEI are the saw thickness, FN is the tooth count. The bore and recommended arbor are in the record's comment block and description — mount your arbor as the holder, and program it as a side/slot milling operation. And remember: every 0.0001-inch in-between thickness is a standard orderable RobbJack part, not a special.
Will re-importing an updated RobbJack library duplicate my tools?
Each record's Libref is a stable RJ_-prefixed version of its RobbJack part number (RJ_A1_201_04 for A1-201-04), so an updated library carries the same identifiers. To update: delete the old RobbJack block from your tool_database.dat (it's contiguous and clearly commented) and paste in the new one. NX itself also skips records whose Libref already exists in the library, so a stray double-paste doesn't corrupt anything.
Verify your download
SHA-256 (also in the manifest):
43bb387862a789b477d3e634a63b8dc59eff9cdcaab09c2d90c710e6da0eb39a