diff --git a/python/swiftest/swiftest/init_cond.py b/python/swiftest/swiftest/init_cond.py
index 0166e78a8..bf2720a3c 100644
--- a/python/swiftest/swiftest/init_cond.py
+++ b/python/swiftest/swiftest/init_cond.py
@@ -417,4 +417,5 @@ def vec2xr(param, idvals, namevals, v1, v2, v3, v4, v5, v6, GMpl=None, Rpl=None,
     ds_float = da_float.to_dataset(dim="vec")
     ds_str = da_str.to_dataset(dim="vec")
     ds = xr.combine_by_coords([ds_float, ds_str,info_ds])
+
     return ds
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/python/swiftest/swiftest/io.py b/python/swiftest/swiftest/io.py
index 28303f8f8..dc184b175 100644
--- a/python/swiftest/swiftest/io.py
+++ b/python/swiftest/swiftest/io.py
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 # This defines Xarray Dataset variables that are strings, which must be processed due to quirks in how NetCDF-Fortran
 # handles strings differently than Python's Xarray.
 string_varnames = ["name", "particle_type", "status", "origin_type"]
+int_varnames = ["id", "ntp", "npl", "nplm", "discard_body_id", "collision_id"]
 
 def bool2yesno(boolval):
     """
@@ -847,54 +848,14 @@ def swiftest2xr(param, verbose=True):
     -------
     xarray dataset
     """
-    if ((param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'REAL8') or (param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'REAL4')): 
-        dims = ['time', 'id', 'vec']
-        cb = []
-        pl = []
-        tp = []
-        cbn = None
-        try:
-            with FortranFile(param['BIN_OUT'], 'r') as f:
-                for t, cbid, cbnames, cvec, clab, \
-                    npl, plid, plnames, pvec, plab, \
-                    ntp, tpid, tpnames, tvec, tlab in swiftest_stream(f, param):
-                    # Prepare frames by adding an extra axis for the time coordinate
-                    cbframe = np.expand_dims(cvec, axis=0)
-                    plframe = np.expand_dims(pvec, axis=0)
-                    tpframe = np.expand_dims(tvec, axis=0)
-
-
-                    # Create xarray DataArrays out of each body type
-                    cbxr = xr.DataArray(cbframe, dims=dims, coords={'time': t, 'id': cbid, 'vec': clab})
-                    cbxr = cbxr.assign_coords(name=("id", cbnames))
-                    plxr = xr.DataArray(plframe, dims=dims, coords={'time': t, 'id': plid, 'vec': plab})
-                    plxr = plxr.assign_coords(name=("id", plnames))
-                    tpxr = xr.DataArray(tpframe, dims=dims, coords={'time': t, 'id': tpid, 'vec': tlab})
-                    tpxr = tpxr.assign_coords(name=("id", tpnames))
-
-                    cb.append(cbxr)
-                    pl.append(plxr)
-                    tp.append(tpxr)
-
-                    sys.stdout.write('\r' + f"Reading in time {t[0]:.3e}")
-                    sys.stdout.flush()
-        except IOError:
-            print(f"Error encountered reading in {param['BIN_OUT']}")
-
-        cbda = xr.concat(cb, dim='time')
-        plda = xr.concat(pl, dim='time')
-        tpda = xr.concat(tp, dim='time')
-    
-        cbds = cbda.to_dataset(dim='vec')
-        plds = plda.to_dataset(dim='vec')
-        tpds = tpda.to_dataset(dim='vec')
-        if verbose: print('\nCreating Dataset')
-        ds = xr.combine_by_coords([cbds, plds, tpds])
 
-    elif ((param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'NETCDF_DOUBLE') or (param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'NETCDF_FLOAT')):
+    if ((param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'NETCDF_DOUBLE') or (param['OUT_TYPE'] == 'NETCDF_FLOAT')):
         if verbose: print('\nCreating Dataset from NetCDF file')
         ds = xr.open_dataset(param['BIN_OUT'], mask_and_scale=False)
-        ds = clean_string_values(ds)
+        if param['OUT_TYPE'] == "NETCDF_DOUBLE":
+            ds = fix_types(ds,ftype=np.float64)
+        elif param['OUT_TYPE'] == "NETCDF_FLOAT":
+            ds = fix_types(ds,ftype=np.float32)
     else:
         print(f"Error encountered. OUT_TYPE {param['OUT_TYPE']} not recognized.")
         return None
@@ -931,7 +892,7 @@ def string_converter(da):
     """
     if da.dtype == np.dtype(object):
        da = da.astype('<U32')
-    elif da.dtype != np.dtype('<U32'):
+    elif type(da.values[0]) != np.str_:
        da = xstrip(da)
     return da
 
@@ -968,8 +929,28 @@ def unclean_string_values(ds):
     """
 
     for c in string_varnames:
-        n = string_converter(ds[c])
-        ds[c] = n.str.ljust(32).str.encode('utf-8')
+        if c in ds:
+            n = string_converter(ds[c])
+            ds[c] = n.str.ljust(32).str.encode('utf-8')
+    return ds
+
+def fix_types(ds,itype=np.int64,ftype=np.float64):
+
+    ds = clean_string_values(ds)
+    for intvar in int_varnames:
+        if intvar in ds:
+            ds[intvar] = ds[intvar].astype(itype)
+
+    float_varnames = [x for x in list(ds.keys()) if x not in string_varnames and x not in int_varnames]
+
+    for floatvar in float_varnames:
+        ds[floatvar] = ds[floatvar].astype(ftype)
+
+    float_coordnames = [x for x in list(ds.coords) if x not in string_varnames and x not in int_varnames]
+    for floatcoord in float_coordnames:
+        ds[floatcoord] = ds[floatcoord].astype(np.float64)
+
+
     return ds
 
 
@@ -1102,6 +1083,9 @@ def swiftest_xr2infile(ds, param, in_type="NETCDF_DOUBLE", infile_name=None,fram
         # Convert strings back to byte form and save the NetCDF file
         # Note: xarray will call the character array dimension string32. The Fortran code
         # will rename this after reading
+
+        if infile_name is None:
+            infile_name = param['NC_IN']
         frame = unclean_string_values(frame)
         print(f"Writing initial conditions to file {infile_name}")
         frame.to_netcdf(path=infile_name)
diff --git a/python/swiftest/swiftest/simulation_class.py b/python/swiftest/swiftest/simulation_class.py
index b72542aaa..a7f7f7a6d 100644
--- a/python/swiftest/swiftest/simulation_class.py
+++ b/python/swiftest/swiftest/simulation_class.py
@@ -1464,6 +1464,11 @@ def addp(self, idvals, namevals, v1, v2, v3, v4, v5, v6, GMpl=None, Rpl=None, rh
         self.ds['ntp'] = self.ds['id'].where(np.isnan(self.ds['Gmass'])).count(dim="id")
         self.ds['npl'] = self.ds['id'].where(np.invert(np.isnan(self.ds['Gmass']))).count(dim="id") - 1
 
+        if self.param['OUT_TYPE'] == "NETCDF_DOUBLE":
+            self.ds = io.fix_types(self.ds,ftype=np.float64)
+        elif self.param['OUT_TYPE'] == "NETCDF_FLOAT":
+            self.ds = io.fix_types(self.ds,ftype=np.float32)
+
         return