In Mozaik 12.3, you set up joint fasteners under Libraries > Hardware > Fasteners tab > Joint Templates: pick a joint, choose a fastener type, and place its holes either as a single fixed location or as an array that auto-spaces holes along the joint up to a maximum separation you set. The same revamp also lets you build a custom fastener (with its own holes plus a pocket for a cover cap), add fasteners to drawer-box joints, and pull every fastener into your hardware report.
This guide follows Mozaik's official walkthrough. Watch the original on Mozaik's channel:
The system below was introduced in Mozaik version 12.3, as demonstrated in Mozaik's official "Joint Fastener Revamp" video. We've rewritten it in plain English so you can set it up confidently on your own jobs.
What changed in Mozaik 12.3
Mozaik revamped the joint-fastener category around four upgrades:
- Array placement — instead of pinning fasteners to fixed spots, you can array the locations along a joint and let Mozaik space them.
- Custom fastener type — define one fastener that drills its own holes and a pocket for a cover cap, so a connector that used to need two fasteners can live in one.
- Drawer-box joint fasteners — you can now assign fastener locations to the joints of a drawer box.
- Hardware-report inclusion — joint fasteners now show up in the hardware report with quantities.
Existing fasteners you built before 12.3 transfer in automatically. They come in flagged as fixed, with their original locations intact, and you can reference each location from the front, rear, or center.
Where joint fasteners live
The starting point for everything below is the same: Libraries tab > Hardware > Fasteners tab > Joint Templates. From there you select a joint template, then drill into the specific joint you want to fasten (for example, an end-back joint, an end-to-top joint, a drawer-box joint, or one of the miscellaneous joints).
How to array fasteners along a joint
The array feature is the headline change. Before, you set up multiple templates to get fasteners at several points; now one array spaces them for you. To set up an array:
- Go to Libraries > Hardware > Fasteners tab > Joint Templates and select your joint template.
- Pick the joint you want — in the video, the end-back joint is used as the example.
- Choose your fastener (the example uses a 5 mm pilot-hole screw set up as an array).
- Set your reference and locations. The example sets the first hole one inch from the top of the cabinet and the next one inch from the bottom.
- Set a Max separation value. This is the key array setting: Mozaik divides the holes evenly between your start and end points and won't let the gap between them exceed it.
Because it's an array (not a fixed fastener), the hole count is dynamic. Mozaik adds intermediate holes on a tall cabinet so no gap exceeds your max separation. In the video, lowering Max separation from 12″ to 6″ on a tall cabinet produces more holes, evenly spaced up and down the joint, each gap a little under 6″.
To verify, bring the cabinet into the Product Editor > View Product, add the joint-fastener parameter, and look at the holes in the side of the cabinet. Turning off the dimensions layer makes the hole pattern easier to read.
How to build a custom fastener (pocket + cover cap)
The custom fastener type lets one fastener do everything a two-piece connector needs: the holes and the pocket for the cap that covers it. The video uses a flush-cover connector — the Lamello Cabineo — as the example, so you no longer set up two separate fasteners for it.
- Go to Libraries > Hardware > Joint Templates and select a joint template, then choose the custom fastener.
- Open the editor for one side of the joint by left-clicking in that side's area. You'll see the part the fastener acts on.
- Define the holes for that side. The example drills three holes for the connector on one side.
- Add the pocket for the cover cap within the same fastener — no second fastener required.
- Choose the tool for the pocket. Mozaik 12.3 adds an option to use your standard tool: rather than hunting for the exact bit, you select your standard tooling and Mozaik automatically picks the appropriate one for that pocket.
- Set up the other side of the joint the same way. In the example, that side needs one hole, 12 mm deep, 5 mm diameter.
- Place the locations and set Max separation if you want it arrayed. The example runs 1½″ from the top and bottom with a 12″ max separation on a back joint.
To check it, open the cabinet, change its fastener parameter to the custom one, and use the perspective view at high detail (turning off doors, drawer boxes, hardware, and interiors makes the connectors easy to see). You can also open Parts tab > the back panel > Edit Operations and view it in 3D to confirm the pocket and the holes drilled where you expect.
How to add fasteners to a drawer box
Drawer-box joints are a new category. The workflow has two parts: build the fastener in the Drawer Box tab, then attach it to the drawer box itself.
Part 1 — build the drawer-box fastener:
- Go to Libraries > Hardware > Fasteners tab > Joint Templates.
- Open the new Drawer Box tab. It lists the drawer-box joints: drawer-front-to-side, drawer-back-to-side, drawer-bottom-to-side, drawer-front-to-bottom, and drawer-back-to-bottom.
- Select a joint (the example uses drawer-front-to-side), set it as an array, and define the hole.
- For depth, you can use a formula. The example uses part thickness in the formula bar, so the hole depth follows whatever material you've assigned — Mozaik converts it automatically based on your material templates in Settings.
- Set your Max separation (the example uses 8″).
Part 2 — attach it to the drawer box:
- Go to Libraries > Drawer Boxes and select the drawer box you use (the example uses a Mozaik undermount drawer box).
- Open the new Fastener tab on the drawer box. You can add up to three fasteners here.
- Add your drawer-box fastener to a joint slot and confirm.
To verify, open the product, turn off everything except the drawer-box layer, and you'll see the fastener locations laid out for assembling the box.
How to add fasteners to other joints (miscellaneous)
The new Miscellaneous tab opens up joints beyond the standard cabinet body. The video's dropdown shows fastener locations for nosing-to-shelf, nailers, sleepers, toe, and panels — so if you apply a panel to the front of a cabinet, for example, you can now fasten it.
The example sets up a nosing-to-shelf joint using a pocket-screw fastener, arrayed 1″ from the left, 1″ from the right, with a Max separation value. A 3″ max produces a lot of pocket screws; bumping it to 7″ thins them down to four locations on that shelf — a more practical count. Adjust max separation to dial in how many fasteners you actually want along that edge.
To apply it to a specific part, use a product parameter override in the cabinet's Parameters tab and select your miscellaneous fastener.
How to get fasteners in the hardware report
Joint fasteners now flow into the hardware report with quantities, which makes ordering connectors much easier.
- Go to File > Print > Print Job.
- Once the job populates, uncheck what you don't need and leave Hardware checked.
- Click Preview.
The list shows each fastener by name with a total quantity for the job (the video shows counts like 40 pilot-hole screws, 140 drawer-box pilot holes, and 64 flush-cover connectors). Use this to order your fastening hardware to the exact count the job requires.
Fixed vs. array — which should you use
- Fixed places fasteners at the exact locations you specify and nothing more. Your pre-12.3 fasteners arrive as fixed, and you can reference each location from the front, rear, or center. Use fixed when you need precise, non-repeating placement.
- Array spreads fasteners evenly along the joint and adds holes as the part grows, capped by Max separation. Use array when you want consistent spacing regardless of cabinet size without maintaining several templates.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up yourself using the steps above. If you'd rather skip the setup, PAC's Mozaik training and done-for-you services can help — phillanton.com.
Full disclosure: this guide is published by Phill Anton Consulting.
FAQ
What does "Max separation" actually control?
It's the largest gap Mozaik will allow between adjacent fasteners in an array. Mozaik divides the holes evenly between your start and end points and places them so no space exceeds that value — so a smaller max separation yields more holes, and a larger one yields fewer.
Will my existing fasteners still work after updating to 12.3?
Yes. Fasteners you set up before the revamp transfer in automatically as fixed, keeping all their original locations. You can keep referencing those locations from the front, rear, or center.
Do I still need two separate fasteners for a connector with a cover cap?
No. The custom fastener type lets a single fastener drill the connector holes and cut the pocket for the cover cap, so you no longer maintain two fasteners for one piece of hardware.
How many fasteners can I attach to one drawer box?
Up to three, added in the new Fastener tab on the drawer box (after you build the fastener under the Drawer Box tab in Joint Templates).