Victaulic, the world's leading manufacturer of mechanical pipe-joining systems, has a new tool available to prepare pipe for efficient and reliable flame-free joining. The VE460 shop fabrication roll grooving tool is designed for use with pipes from 100–1500 mm/4-60” in diameter, depending on pipe material. It is suitable for preparing pipes to be joined with Original Groove System (OGS) couplings for 100–300 mm/4–12” sizes or the Advanced Groove System (AGS) ranging from 350–1500mm/14–60” Available for purchase or for hire, the fully-motorised, semi-automatic tool is equipped with a heavy duty 5 HP, three-phase motor wired for 400 volts and can be rewired for 230 volts. It comes complete with safety guards and safety foot switch and is supplied with rolls for OGS from 100-300mm/4-12" and for AGS from 350-600mm/14-24". All rolls are enhanced tracking rolls (ETR) to prevent pipe ‘walk-off’ and make grooving short pipe lengths easier. Three optional kits provide rolls for grooving 650-900 mm/26-36”, 1000-1200 mm/40-48” and 1250-1500 mm/50-60”, along with the pipe stands, railing, platform kit and support bases required for each pipe size range. Suitable for continuous shop fabrication grooving, the VE460 has been designed with speed and ease of operation and maintenance in mind: no set screws in the upper roll and no key in the lower roll allow for quicker, easier roll set changes. Having integral bearings within the upper roll not only makes the tool easy to clean and inspect but also extends the life of the bearings. “The new VE460 grooving tool enables more of our customers to reap the benefits of our Style W07 and W77 AGS couplings now that the range has been extended to include sizes from 650-1500mm/26-60”,” says Mark Gilbert, Vice President and General Manager for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. ”It has been specifically designed for the wedge-shaped AGS grooves that deliver high pressure ratings, and can roll a groove on standard wall, large diameter pipe in five to seven minutes. That means that installers can prepare pipe and install couplings in a fraction of the time it takes to weld.” For information on the Victaulic product range or stockists, call the Victaulic European Headquarters on +32 93 81 15 00 or visit www.victaulic.com About Victaulic Founded in 1925, Victaulic is the world's leading producer of mechanical pipe joining systems. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA, Victaulic has manufacturing and distribution facilities worldwide and employs more than 3,500 people. The company develops products for a full range of industrial, commercial and institutional piping system applications. For more information please contact Elaine Essery, E: elaine@vipr.biz, T: 01229 716129