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Akshay Nikhare
Akshay Nikhare

Posted on • Originally published at cadnative.com

IMOS IX : hardware Häfele Espagnolette Lock

#imosix #hfele #hardware #cncexport

Adding branded hardware to a furniture model is where parametric design gets real. In this walkthrough we take a Häfele Espagnolette lock (nickel, article P-01503387) and set it up in IMOS IX as a rotating-door lock connector — configuring the constructive connector characteristics, understanding the part numbering, and generating the export file that drives the CNC.

The result: drop the lock into any cabinet or wardrobe door and IMOS IX automatically places the cylinder, the rod guides, and every strike position the workshop needs.

Download the ready-made connector

Import Lock_ESP_v1.zip straight into IMOS IX and start configuring — no setup required.

Download Lock_ESP_v1.zip

What is an Espagnolette lock?

An Espagnolette lock is a multi-point locking mechanism. A single cylinder drives a vertical rod (the espagnolette) up and down, engaging the carcase at the top and bottom of a tall door. Unlike a simple cam lock, it secures the door along its full height, which is why it is common on wardrobes, filing towers, and workshop cabinets.

Häfele Espagnolette lock, nickel finish, article P-01503387, with removable-core cylinder and keys

The physical fitting: Häfele Espagnolette lock, nickel (P-01503387), with removable-core cylinder and keys.

The Häfele unit we are modelling is the nickel-finish variant, article P-01503387, driven by a removable-core Symo cylinder. From a manufacturing point of view the lock is not one part but a small assembly:

  • The lock case with the cylinder, mortised into the door.
  • The espagnolette rod running the height of the door.
  • Rod guides holding the rod in line.
  • Lock plates / strike receivers on the top and bottom shelves.

Every one of those elements implies holes and pockets that have to be cut accurately — the perfect job for IMOS IX.

IMOS IX drawing of a double door with the Espagnolette lock connector installed — central cylinder, rod running the full height, hooks and guides top and bottom

The same lock modelled in IMOS IX: the connector places the cylinder, the full-height rod, and the hooks and guides automatically.

Importing the connector into IMOS IX

If you just want to use the lock, grab the Lock_ESP_v1.zip download above — it contains the pre-built connector, ready to import through the iX Organizer. You do not need to model anything from scratch.

  1. Download Lock_ESP_v1.zip to a temporary folder.
  2. Open the iX Organizer and go to Integration Center › Import.
  3. Click Open Import Medium and select the unzipped import file.
  4. In the tree, expand Import medium › Hardware and Machining › Connector. You will see the Espagnolette lock elements:
  • HAF_LOCK_ESP_Case_22464618 — the lock case
  • HAF_LOCK_ESP_Guide — rod guide
  • HAF_LOCK_ESP_Hook_Top / HAF_LOCK_ESP_Hook_Bot — top and bottom hooks
  • HAF_LOCK_ESP_LockingBolt — the locking bolt
  • HAF_LOCK_ESP_Rod — the espagnolette rod
  1. Tick the connectors you want (or the whole Connector folder) and click Import.

iX Organizer Integration Center Import screen showing the HAF_LOCK_ESP connector elements ready to import

iX Organizer › Integration Center › Import — the HAF_LOCK_ESP connector elements from Lock_ESP_v1.zip, ready to import.

Items shown in green are new to your library; an item in orange (like the locking bolt above) already exists and will be updated. After importing, open the connector once and check the editable characteristics (backset, bolt depth, rod offsets) against your own hardware.

Once imported, the Espagnolette lock appears in your connector list under Element Manager › Connections › Connector, ready to attach to a rotating-door article. The rest of this article explains how the connector is built — useful if you want to tweak it, rebuild it for another fitting, or understand what the import gives you.

Constructive connector characteristics

In IMOS IX a lock is a connector, and its behaviour is driven by the constructive connector characteristics. You reach them here:

Ribbon: Main data › Main data › Element Manager › Connections › Connector

The constructive connector characteristics describe features of the connector — for example, where it sits in the article and how its machining is derived. For rotating doors, IMOS IX distinguishes between Lock, Hinges, Mounting plates, and Buffers and Openers. For the Espagnolette lock we are concerned with the Lock characteristics below.

Element characteristics (LS_TYP)

The connector type is defined in the LS_TYP (Locking system type) characteristic. These sub-elements build up the lock:

  • LFRONT — Lock cylinder, key plug, turning handle (the front machining)
  • LPLATE — Lock plate, stop bracket
  • LRODHOLDER — Rod guide
  • LPIN — Positioning pin
  • LOCK — Lock case
  • LACT / LACT_L / LACT_R — Door latch (both / left / right)
  • ROD — Espagnolette rod

Order quantity of rod guides controls how many guides/mountings are ordered for the espagnolette rods, written to the IDBPURCH table. Use Order quantity only to set it manually, or Real quantity times order quantity to derive it from the linear division. Note: the Division rod characteristic does not write the real amount into IDBPURCH — use Order quantity of rod guides instead.

Editable dimensional characteristics

These are the numbers you tune to match the Häfele fitting drawing for P-01503387:

  • LS_X — Locking latch reveal: how far the lock latch is revealed in the carcass.
  • LS_LOCK_ROD_SUB — Espagnolette reduction middle: how the rod is shortened at the centre (lock section); omit for locks without rods.
  • LS_LACT_ROD_SUB — Espagnolette reduction door latch: shortening of the rod at the lock latch.
  • LS_BOLD_DEP — Bolt depth: the bolt depth.
  • LS_BOLD_SIZE — Backset: distance between the insertion point of the lock (usually its middle) and the edge.
  • LS_BOLD_DIST — Distance bolt/door back: door back-panel distance to the bolt.
  • LS_ROD_DIST — Offset espagnolette back: how far the espagnolette is shifted into the carcass (always set this; omit only for locks without rods).
  • LS_PLATE_DEP — Depth lock plate: maximum depth the bolt travels into the lock plate (optional).
  • LS_PLATE_SIZE — Overlap lock plate: how far the lock plate protrudes from the carcass.
  • LS_PIN_DIST — Distance door/pin: door back-panel distance to the positioning-pin centre.
  • LS_ROD_CENTER_DIST — Offset to hinge side: moves the espagnolette (and its hooks) toward the hinge side.

Rod positioning and geometry

  • Division rod (LS_LINDIV) — a Linear Division descriptor that positions the espagnolette along the door.
  • Espagnolette side (LS_ROD_SIDES) — where the rod runs relative to the lock pocket: 0 both sides, 1 just top, 2 just bottom, 3 only left, 4 only right, 5 through the lock pocket.
  • Locksystem DWG (SECTION_DWG) — a DWG holding the rod's cross-section geometry. It may contain only one polyline, and the file must live in the <Library>\ConnDWG directory (the .dwg extension is optional in the field).

Part numbers for rotating doors

The part numbers of the Espagnolette lock are relevant to the constructive connector characteristics — they tell IMOS IX (and you) which panel each piece of machining belongs to. The numbering mirrors depending on whether the door is hinged left or right.

Diagram omitted in this syndicated copy — see the original article for the illustration.

Left door

Diagram omitted in this syndicated copy — see the original article for the illustration.

Right door

Left door

  • 0 — Front machining
  • 2 — Top shelf
  • 3 — Bottom shelf
  • 6 — Front machining top
  • 7 — Front machining bottom

Right door

  • 0 — Front machining
  • 2 — Bottom shelf
  • 3 — Top shelf
  • 6 — Front machining bottom
  • 7 — Front machining top

Notice the mirror: on the left door part 2 is the top shelf, while on the right door part 2 is the bottom shelf. Getting the handing right is what keeps the strike machining on the correct panel.

Generating the export file

Once a variant is configured, IMOS IX evaluates the article and produces the production data. The export file typically contains three things:

  1. Machine data — DXF or MPR/MPR2 files carrying every bore and pocket for the CNC router, including the cylinder, rod guides, and strikes.
  2. Part list / BOM — the panel parts plus the Häfele Espagnolette lock (P-01503387) as a purchased fitting, with rod-guide quantities from IDBPURCH.
  3. Label and assembly data — so cut parts arrive pre-marked for the fitter.

A typical export run looks like this:

Configured door + lock → IMOS IX article → CNC files (DXF/MPR) + BOM → Production
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Open the generated MPR in your machine's viewer and you should see the cylinder bore on the front, the rod guides down the door, and the strike positions on the top and bottom shelves — exactly where the connector characteristics placed them.

Verifying the output

Before sending anything to the machine, sanity-check the export:

  • Backset (LS_BOLD_SIZE) and bolt depth (LS_BOLD_DEP) match the Häfele drawing for P-01503387.
  • Rod guides (LRODHOLDER) line up along the espagnolette and the quantity in the BOM is correct.
  • Strike machining lands on the right panel for the door's handing (check the part numbers above).
  • The BOM lists the correct article number and nickel finish.

Catching a wrong backset in the viewer costs seconds; catching it after a batch of doors is cut costs a day.

Talk to us

We build IMOS IX hardware libraries and connector setups for furniture manufacturers across Europe. If you need help configuring Häfele fittings or automating your CNC export, get in touch.

Originally published at cadnative.com.

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