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Introduction
Founded in 1964, Jas P Wilson is a UK-based forestry and firewood machinery supplier and engineering company based in Dalbeattie, South-West Scotland. Serving customers across the UK, Europe and beyond, the family-owned business has built a strong reputation for supplying, manufacturing and servicing specialist forestry and firewood equipment.
Alongside supplying machinery, Jas P Wilson manufactures the BOTEX range of loaders, trailers and attachments in-house, and specialises in the design and production of bespoke forestry guarding, roof mounts and conversion kits for VALTRA tractors and a wide range of excavator brands.
Operating from a 20,000 square metre facility with an in-house team of engineers, designers, technicians and fabrication specialists, the business continually invests in technologies that improve efficiency, product quality and customer support.
One of the most significant developments in recent years has been the creation of 3D Scanning UK, a dedicated scanning, reverse engineering and inspection service that was created in response to growing customer demand following Jas P Wilson’s investment in advanced 3D scanning technology.
Objectives
Jas P Wilson invested in the Creaform HandySCAN MAX Elite, supplied by Measurement Solutions Ltd, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of its bespoke machinery design and fabrication processes.
The company’s forestry guarding projects often involve large-scale, highly customised fabrication work that must integrate precisely with existing machinery without affecting functionality. The objective was to reduce reliance on manual measurement methods, improve scan-to-design workflows and remove bottlenecks within the design process.
Another key aim was to create additional capacity within the engineering team, allowing designers to focus more time on product development, innovation and continuous improvement rather than time-intensive measurement and repeated fitment validation.
At the same time, the business recognised the wider potential of 3D scanning technology, both internally and as a future external service offering.
Application Examples
The HandySCAN MAX Elite is now used across a wide range of applications within Jas P Wilson and 3D Scanning UK projects, including:
- Bespoke forestry guarding design
- Reverse engineering
- Scan-to-CAD workflows
- Large-scale machinery scanning
- Inspection and measurement
- Product development and fabrication support
VALTRA S-Series Forestry Guarding
One of the earliest major projects involved developing a bespoke forestry guarding kit for a VALTRA S396 tractor, the largest VALTRA chassis the team had worked with to date.
As no existing guarding kit design was available for the S-Series, the full 3D scan provided the design team with highly accurate geometry from the outset, allowing them to develop a guarding solution that was well-fitted, ergonomic and visually integrated with the machine.
The ability to fully visualise the tractor from multiple angles helped accelerate the design and fabrication process, significantly reducing the need for manual measurements and repeated trial fitting.
The scan data also allowed the team to quickly respond to additional customer requests during the project without returning to physically remeasure the machine.
Reverse Modelling – KOBELCO Excavator Retrofit
The HandySCAN MAX Elite also supported a complex retrofit project involving a customer upgrading to a newer model of Kobelco excavator while retaining an existing forestry guarding frame and boom-mounted winch attachments from the previous machine.
To achieve this, both excavators were scanned to capture the required geometry and enable key mounting interfaces, boom plates and bespoke skirting components to be accurately recreated within CAD.
One of the most technically challenging aspects of the project involved reverse modelling and adapting a large, undocumented sheet metal skirting system originally fabricated for the previous machine. Using Scan-to-CAD workflows, cross sections and reference geometry were extracted directly from the scan data, allowing the original design to be accurately adapted to the geometry of the new excavator while maintaining compatibility with the existing guarding frame.
The workflow also enabled the precise extraction and positioning of more than 45 mounting hole locations directly within CAD, significantly reducing the need for manual templating, physical trial fitting and iterative modification during fabrication.
By completing the adaptation process digitally before manufacture, the project streamlined production while improving fitment accuracy and reducing development time.
SANY SY155U HarvaDig Conversion
The HandySCAN MAX Elite has also supported large-scale excavator conversion projects, including a SANY SY155U HarvaDig conversion.
As the largest machine scanned by the business at the time, the project demonstrated the scanner’s ability to capture large and complex machinery accurately and efficiently. Multiple boom positions were scanned to help the design team assess movement clearances and optimise the guarding and conversion design before fabrication began.
In addition to internal manufacturing projects, the technology is now also supporting reverse engineering, inspection and scanning services for external customers through 3D Scanning UK, across a range of industries beyond their core forestry sector.
Challenges
Before implementing 3D scanning, the design and fabrication process relied heavily on manual measurement methods. Engineers would spend significant time working underneath large machinery with tape measures, capturing complex geometry through a process that was both time-consuming and physically demanding.
The bespoke nature of forestry guarding projects added further complexity, with variations between machine models often requiring repeated measurements, physical test pieces and multiple design iterations to validate fitment.
This created a bottleneck within the design process, placing pressure on project timelines and limiting the engineering team’s ability to focus on product development and continuous improvement.
Communication between design and fabrication teams could also become more challenging when relying on manual measurements and interpretation, increasing the risk of ambiguity, rework and delays during production.
Like many engineering and manufacturing businesses working with bespoke products, Jas P Wilson recognised the need for a more accurate, repeatable and efficient workflow that could support both operational growth and improved product quality.
Solution
Following a visit to MACH 2024, Jas P Wilson explored 3D scanning as a potential solution and partnered with Measurement Solutions Ltd to implement the Creaform HandySCAN MAX Elite. The scanner is now used to capture full machines, generating highly accurate mesh data that can be imported directly into CAD and used to build complete assemblies.
Using different working volume settings, the standard mode is used to quickly capture overall geometry, while the near working volume mode allows highly accurate capture of critical features such as mounting points and complex areas.
Through the Scan-To-CAD workflow, reference geometry including planes, sections and key features can be extracted directly from the scan data, allowing the engineering team to work efficiently within CAD assemblies without the need for full reverse engineering of every component.
Alongside the implementation of the technology, Jas P Wilson also created a dedicated role to manage the 3D scanning process. Combined with MSL’s training and ongoing use of the system over the past year, this has enabled the business to consistently generate high-quality scan data in-house while freeing up the wider design team to focus on development and innovation.
HandySCAN 3D|MAX Elite
Combining the effect of portability, accuracy, speed, and simplicity, which are inherent to the HandySCAN 3D line-up, the HandySCAN 3D|MAX Series is optimised to acquire highly accurate 3D measurements on large and complex parts typically present in the aerospace, transportation, energy, mining, and heavy industries.
Engineered to capture fine details and scan large volumes equally well, the HandySCAN 3D|MAX Series enables professionals to measure large parts and assemblies in a simpler scanning process, resulting in high-quality 3D scans in just a matter of minutes
Benefits
The introduction of 3D scanning has delivered significant operational and commercial benefits across the business.
The most immediate impact has been the removal of a major bottleneck within the design process. By reducing reliance on manual measurement and physical trial fitting, engineering processes have become more efficient and considerably less reliant on iterative fitting and rework
This has enabled the wider engineering team to focus more time on product development and continuous improvement rather than time-intensive manual measurement tasks.
The use of highly accurate scan data has also improved communication between design and fabrication teams, reducing ambiguity and streamlining the transition from concept through to manufacture. This has helped reduce rework while improving confidence in fitment and assembly accuracy.
From a product quality perspective, the ability to design directly from scan data has enabled tighter, more refined guarding solutions with improved fit, more efficient material usage and a cleaner overall finished product.
The technology has also expanded internal capabilities, allowing the business to undertake more advanced reverse engineering, inspection and Scan-to-CAD workflows across a wider range of machinery and engineering projects.
Beyond internal improvements, the successful implementation of the HandySCAN MAX Elite directly led to the creation of 3D Scanning UK, a dedicated external scanning and reverse engineering service that now supports customers across multiple industries beyond the company’s traditional forestry sector.
“The introduction of 3D scanning has transformed the way we approach bespoke engineering projects. It has removed key bottlenecks from the design process, improved communication between departments and allowed our engineering team to focus more on development and innovation rather than manual measurement and rework. What started as an internal investment has ultimately opened the door to entirely new opportunities through 3D Scanning UK.”
Liam Wilson, 3D Scanner & Design Engineer, Jas P Wilson.
The Results
Since implementing the HandySCAN MAX Elite, Jas P Wilson has significantly improved the speed, efficiency and consistency of its design and fabrication workflows.
Design time and project turnaround have been reduced, while improved first-time fit accuracy has minimised the need for physical prototyping, repeated measurements and rework. The reduction in measurement error has also contributed to lower material waste and a more streamlined production process.
Many of the challenges Jas P Wilson faced are not unique to forestry machinery manufacturing. Similar bottlenecks around manual measurement, design communication, reverse engineering and production efficiency exist across a wide range of engineering and fabrication environments. Through the launch of 3D Scanning UK, the business is now able to apply the same high-accuracy scanning, inspection and Scan-to-CAD workflows developed internally to support companies looking to improve design efficiency, reduce rework and streamline production processes.
The introduction of accurate scan data into the workflow has transformed communication between departments, creating a more efficient and collaborative process between design, engineering and fabrication teams
