Extract text from ProtoTRAK CNC programs (PT4)
To convert PT4 CNC programs to another format, you need ProtoTRAK Offline Programming or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "CNC Machine Program" file type, you need software like ProtoTRAK Offline Programming or a similar tool.
The .PT4 file extension is primarily associated with Southwestern Industries (SWI) and their line of ProtoTRAK CNC controllers (specifically the SMX, SLX, and newer KMX series). These are CNC Part Programs that contain the specific "events" (drilling, milling, pocketing) and geometry definitions required to manufacture a part. unlike standard text-based G-code files (NO, GCD), a .PT4 file is a proprietary structured format optimized for the ProtoTRAK's conversational programming interface. This can lead to major headaches for machine shops: you cannot open a .PT4 file in standard CAD/CAM software like Fusion 360 or SolidWorks to view the geometry, nor can you run it on non-SWI machines (like Haas or Fanuc controls) without conversion.
For engineering and documentation, users often need to convert .PT4 files to PDF to create printable setup sheets for operators. To migrate the manufacturing data to other machines, the file must be converted to standard G-code or DXF (to recover the geometry).
A secondary, less common use (approx. 9%) is as a Power Consumption Log generated by Qualcomm diagnostic tools (such as QDART or power optimization suites). These binary logs contain voltage and current traces used by embedded engineers to optimize battery life in mobile devices. These files are unreadable by standard text editors and must be converted to CSV or XLSX (Excel) for analysis.
Convert.Guru analyzes your PT4 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted S19, RPG, SAS and PT3 files.
If you want to convert PT4 file to , you can use ProtoTRAK Offline Programming or similar software from the "CNC Part Program" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to PT4, try ProtoTRAK Offline Programming or another comparable tool in the "CNC Part Program" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our PT4 converter.