OpenSCAD is great if you follow a subtractive workflow. Define simple stock geometry, and subtract away each feature with slightly wider primitives to avoid zero thickness intersections. This ensures you will not get weird bugs later, and a fairly accurate part for plastic printers.
As many correctly pointed out, STL & DXF are not considered professional file-formats anymore by some people. Some fabricators will not respond to quote requests, as without a Step file they are literately self-confessed useless clowns without Onshape/Fusion true solids handling the ugly math.
It is partially a unofficial standards issue, but customers without Step files may have to look around for fabricators. YMMV =3
STL is not used outside of 3d printing for obvious reasons.
STLs have an obvious quality problem with geometry since they have an internal resolution that cannot be changed. The amount of people printing STL artifacts into their plastic parts is kind of ridiculous, honestly speaking.
The other problem is that CNC machines turn the geometry encoded by STEP files into toolpaths. This is basically impossible with meshes unless you want to mill the STL artifacts right into your part with a generic tool.
In subtractive manufacturing the manufacturer has to choose a selection of tools and assign each tool to the relevant features of the part. If you want holes you need a drill, if you want threads you need a tap, if you want fillets or chamfers, there is a tool for that and so on.
Your STL file is the equivalent of a JPEG here. It has already lost the critical information that is needed to manufacture your part.
The STL file literally means Stereolithography, and was created by 3D Systems. It is the intended use-case, and is limited like any other file format.
The fact many fabs avoid DXF is unit and format version ambiguity. However, the other reason is predicting bend deduction is often wishful thinking. Most high end CAD packages are fairly good at handling that mess for people, but often still have issues figuring out how features will deform.
CAD can also start to fail on large complex geometries, as even a simple single combo-tool g-code macro to drill, helical mill, and chamfer threaded-holes in a plate often is done by the time CAD/CAM path-planners finish/crash.
As many correctly pointed out, STL & DXF are not considered professional file-formats anymore by some people. Some fabricators will not respond to quote requests, as without a Step file they are literately self-confessed useless clowns without Onshape/Fusion true solids handling the ugly math.
It is partially a unofficial standards issue, but customers without Step files may have to look around for fabricators. YMMV =3