Guide
The System 32 drilling standard in Alphacam: shelf, hinge and runner holes
What System 32 is and how it is applied in Alphacam: 32 mm hole pitch, front/back row distance (37 mm), start height, Ø5 shelf pins and hinge/runner holes, layout rules on the cabinet side and automatic arrays with a macro.
Published: 7 min read
System 32 is the drilling standard of holes at a 32 mm pitch in cabinet side panels: shelf pins, hinge mounting plates and drawer runners all seat in these holes. All European furniture hardware (Hettich, Blum, Grass, Häfele…) is made to this dimension; a shop that applies the standard correctly gets compatibility whatever brand it buys. In Alphacam, System 32 is a hole array job; this article explains the rules and how a macro applies them without error. The carcass as a whole: What is Alphacam? A CAD/CAM guide for furniture and wood CNC
The rules of the standard
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hole pitch (vertical) | 32 mm | Constant along the row |
| Hole diameter | Ø5 mm (shelf pin, system screw) | Hinge plate Ø5 or Ø8 dowel |
| Hole depth | 10–13 mm | 5 mm left on an 18 mm panel |
| Front row distance | 37 mm (panel front edge to hole centre) | Hinge plate and runner front hole sit in this row |
| Back row distance | 37 mm + runner length (e.g. 37 + 224 = 261; 37 + 256 = 293) | By runner/hinge brand; mostly multiples of 32 |
| Start height | First hole centre from the bottom edge: a "system dimension" such as 9.5 mm or 37 mm | Decided once by carcass construction (bottom panel on top / between) |
The array in Alphacam
The side panel is drawn as a rectangle on KESIM; the holes are added on DELIK_S32 (or DELIK) as an array of Ø5 circles. Alphacam's own array command repeats one hole at a 32 mm step; but two rows, left/right mirror, full or partial arrays and hinge/runner holes make the manual calculation long. The chain: panel height − bottom allowance − top allowance → divide by 32 → count; front row at 37 mm, back row by runner size; left panel and right panel mirrored.
Full array or partial?
- Full array (whole height): freedom to put any shelf at any height; many visible holes (unwanted on lacquered carcasses). Common on kitchen base/wall units.
- Partial: only 3–5 holes in the range where the shelf can go (e.g. ±64 mm of the shelf centre); clean look, less freedom. Common in bedroom/living furniture.
- Hinge and runner holes: independently of a full array, the hinge plate (2 × Ø5, 32 mm apart, at the door's hinge height) and runner holes (front at 37 mm, back by runner length) are added separately — or a full array already covers them.
With a macro: hole array from the panel size
System 32 Shelf Holes in Cabinet Macros takes the panel height and depth and draws both rows with defaults for start height, front/back row distance, diameter and depth; it mirrors for left/right panels itself. Hole Array is for free arrays (count × pitch); Hinge Cup (Ø35) for the door side. Output lands on DELIK_S32; if Auto Style maps that layer to a multi-spindle drill group, the whole row is drilled in one plunge (Alphacam Auto Style setup: automatic machining by layer name). Product: Cabinet Macros.
On the machine: drill group and time
On a router, System 32 time depends on hole count: two rows on a 2,000 mm panel ≈ 120 holes; drilling with a single cutter takes 4–6 minutes, a multi-spindle drill group (5–9 spindles at 32 mm) takes 30–60 seconds. The post-processor must recognise the drill group (G-code drill cycle or builder's drill block) — What is an Alphacam post-processor? Producing NC code for your machine. Without a group, Ø5 holes are drilled by straight plunge, not helical, in Auto Style; the only time strategy is fewer holes (partial array).
Frequently asked
Where does the 37 mm come from?
The front mounting hole of hinge plates and runners is 37 mm from the panel front edge (37.5 in some systems). Standard European hardware is made to it; with the front row at 37, hinge and runner holes fall on the array.
Ø5 or Ø3 for shelf pins?
Ø5 mm is standard in System 32; Ø3 pins belong to old/cheap systems and are incompatible with runners. Choose Ø5 and keep depth at 10–12 mm.
Does System 32 work on 16 mm panels?
Yes; hole depth is limited to 9–10 mm (6 mm left). The depth parameter in the macro is set by panel thickness.
Related products
Tools that do the work described here with one click inside Alphacam: the GMacros add-in and macro packages. Purchasing and licensing are explained on How it works.
Written by the GMacros team. Alphacam is a registered trademark of Hexagon AB; this guide is independent.