1 Product Details

Exterior Dimensions: 38cm x 36.5cm x 86.5cm

ⓘ The exterior XYZ dimensions of the printer including a standard size spool mounted.

1. Spool Holder: This is where you will place your spool of filament. Ensure the free end of the filament is at the front of the spool and pointing downwards.
2. Filament Insertion Point (FIP): There is a hole at the top of the FIP lined with a PTFE tube. This is where you will insert filament for printing. This part also contains the switch for filament runout detection.
3. Touch Panel: This is the touchscreen interface for your Nautilus. There is an overview of the interface structure in Section 1.2
4. IO Panel: This plate on the side of your printer contains the power switch, USB-B port for connecting to the main control board, and Micro USB port for updating the touch panel.
5. Enclosure Door: This is the door to access the interior of your Nautilus. The door is reversible if you are left-handed or just prefer that the door opens the other way. To flip the door, remove the screws holding the hinges to the printer and swap them with the placeholder screws on the other side.
   ⓘ Do not overtighten the screws; you can strip out the threads in the front panel

1. Panel USB Port: This Micro USB port is used for updating the touch panel firmware.
2. Main USB Port: This USB-B port is used for connecting to the main control board.
3. Power Switch: Used for powering the Nautilus ON and OFF.

1. Spool Holder: This is where you will place your spool of 1.75 mm diameter filament. Ensure the free end of the filament is at the front of the spool and pointing downwards. The spool holder can accommodate a spool up to 11 cm wide and 30 cm in diameter.
2. Active Ventilation: Ventilation port with a fan that will turn ON when needed. Do not cover this vent.
3. Filament Insertion Point (FIP): There is a hole at the top of the FIP lined with a PTFE tube. This is where you will insert filament for printing. This part also contains the switch for filament runout detection.
4. Passive Ventilation: Ventilation port, do not cover.

1. Fume Vent: Two 80mm fan vent holes are located behind the black plastic cover. The cover can be unscrewed from the inside of the printer. See more info below.
2. Power Inlet: This is where the power cord is plugged into the Nautilus. Make sure to use a cord rated for 10A at 110V or better. The Nautilus can be configured for 220V input rather easily, if you are interested contact support.
3. Ethernet Port: This is where you connect an ethernet cable for a wired network connection if you opted for the Ethernet version of the Nautilus. This port will be covered if you purchased the WiFi version.

Two 80mm fan vent holes are located behind the black plastic cover. The cover can be unscrewed from the inside of the printer.

When connecting ventilation and filtering it is recommended to use a system with air return so that the hot air is returned to the enclosure of the Nautilus. For low temp materials such as PLA and PETG, this is not really a concern, but for high temp and warp-prone materials such as ABS, Nylon, etc it is crucial for best results. We suggest the BOFA 3D PrintPro 3 or similar. You will need to create (3D Print) adapters for whatever filtration system you choose.

Nautilus Fume Vent Dimensional Drawing

1. Tool Head: This is the part of the printer responsible for heating and extruding the plastic filament. It includes the extruder, Tool Cartridge, part cooling, and bed probing systems.
2. Tool Cartridge: This part is removable by the white tab sticking out on the right side of the tool head (See Section 1.4.1 for instructions on changing the Tool Cartridge). The Tool Cartridge is where the plastic filament is melted and pushed out of the nozzle to create 3D printed parts.
3. BLTouch (Bed Leveling) Probe: The BLTouch is the white cylinder located behind the blower fan on the front of the toolhead. A small plastic pin will drop down from the BLTouch during the bed leveling procedure and for a moment when the printer is powered ON.
4. Purge Bucket: The purge bucket captures excess material purged from the nozzle during material load/unload, at the beginning of each print, and when a print is resumed after a pause. It also has a square, orange, silicone pad used for wiping excess material from the nozzle after a purge.
5. Build Plate: This is the heated aluminum plate that moves up and down. The Print Surface is magnetically attached to the build plate. Do not print directly on the build plate, a Print Surface is always required.
6. Print Surface: The magnetically attached, flexible Print Surface is what the print adheres to during printing. This part can easily be switched for a replacement or to use an alternative surface for improved material adhesion.

The Nautilus uses a 7’’ touch screen for user control of the printer. Here you can start print jobs, monitor the printer’s activity, load/unload material, and much more.

The main interface is organized into four tabs that are always displayed at the bottom of the screen (highlighted in green). The Nautilus defaults to the Control Tab on startup.

Each tab is explored in-depth in the following section.

ⓘ The Nautilus uses the Duet open-source CNC Control Platform. This platform was designed to work with as many different configurations as possible so the Nautilus does not use everything that is available. Hydra Research has streamlined the display configuration as much as possible, but you may run into the occasional button that does not do anything on your Nautilus.

This Tab is opened upon startup of the Nautilus. This and the Print Tab will be where you spend most of your time.

1. Printer Status: Displays the current printer status: Standby, Idle, or Printing.
2. Stop: The button acts as a software emergency stop. For all intents and purposes, it is like turning the printer OFF and then back ON again. Uses this if you need to stop what the printer is doing urgently.
3. Heatbed ON/OFF: Turns the bed heater ON and OFF.
4. Hotend ON/OFF: Turns the hotend heater ON and OFF.
5. Current Heater Temperatures: The current temperature of the heaters on the Nautilus display in Celcius.
   • Red - the heater is ON and heating to the set active temperature.
   • Green - the heater is OFF.
   • Purple - heater fault. Check to ensure that the tool cartridge is properly inserted.
6. Active Heater Temperatures: The temperature the heaters will heat to when powered ON. Click the box below the desired heater to manually adjust the active temperature.
7. Standby Heater Temperatures: The Nautilus does not use standby temperatures. The standby temperature will usually be set the same as the active temperature unless the active temperature is set manually by the user via the display or Duet Web Control. Click the box corresponding to the desired heater to manually adjust the standby temperature.
8. Tool Head Position XYZ: The current XYZ position of the tool head within the printer.
9. Manual Homing: The far left of the homing buttons will home the X, Y, and Z axes all at once; the other three homing buttons will home each of the axes individually. The Nautilus conducts homing routines automatically, so you should rarely need to use these functions.
10. Print Jobs: This button opens the file menu for all the Print Jobs that have been uploaded to your printer. This is where you select a job for printing.
11. Manual Movement: Opens manual axis jog control, allowing you to manually move the tool head and build plate around. This is primarily used for maintenance and troubleshooting, but may be useful after pausing a print job for inspecting or repairing prints.
    • X moves the tool to the left (-) or the right (+).
    • Y moves the tool to the front (-) or the back (+).
    • Z moves the print surface up (-) or down (+).
12. Manual Extrude: Opens the manual extrusion control, allowing you to manually extrude or retract material/filament. This is primarily used for maintenance and troubleshooting.
13. Macro Menu: Opens the Macro menu, which is home to the majority of the printer functions you will need for setup and calibration. Four key macros are displayed in the top right corner for easy access.
14. Change Tool: Activate when you want to switch Tool Cartridges, or if you need to remove a Tool Cartridge for maintenance.
15. Cooldown: Disables all heaters.
16. Material Load: Activates the material loading sequence.
17. Material Unload: Activates the material unloading sequence.
18. Bed Probe Reading: This is the reading from the bed probe, which is used during automatic bed level compensation. You do not need to pay attention to this. It will display P0 when the probe is not triggered.
19. Automatic Bed Level Compensation: Manually initiate the automatic bed level compensation. This is only needed for diagnostic/debugging purposes; the Nautilus initiates auto bed level compensation at the beginning of every print job by default.

Control the brightness level of interior lighting.

• High Brightness: Full brightness.
• Low Brightness: Low brightness.
• Nightlight: Just enough to see that the job is still going.
• Turn Off Lights: Lights fully disabled.

Preheat the nozzle before loading or unloading material. If you are changing materials, always preheat for the higher of the two materials. The heater will not actually turn on until it is time to extrude material (loading, unloading, printing, etc.) or if the heater is manually activated.

Switch between normal and quiet mode for printing.

• Normal Mode: This is the default mode.
• Quiet Mode: Reduces speed and motor current for quieter operation.

Calibration routines. These should rarely be needed.

• Cold Pull (Clears Jams): This function purges standard nylon through the Tool Cartridge, then lets it cool before unloading. This is an effort to purge the material and then encapsulate carbonization in the nozzle that may be causing poor extrusion flow or jams. It is just a starting point and may need to be run several times to clear the jam. In the case of more severe jams it may not work at all.
• Filament Sensor Disable: If the filament sensor is triggering during a print when it should not be, you can use this to disable the sensor for the remainder of the job. The filament sensor will be reenabled for the next job. The job must already be started for this to work.
• Filament Sensor Enable: Reenables the filament sensor. Use if you disabled during a job, but decided you want to reactive the filament sensor.
• Heatbed Temp Tuning: Runs automatic temperature calibration for the heat bed.
• Hotend Temp Tuning: Runs automatic temperature calibration for the hotend.
• Level Z: Levels the Z-carriages by raising the Z-axis until it hits the top of the axis. You will hear a grinding sound when this happens, which is normal and intentional. More info in section 4.1.4

• Connect to WiFi: Displays the G-code required to connect to WiFi. This G-code must then be entered in the Console Tab. (See Section 2.1.3 for more information on connecting to WiFi)
• Display IP Address: If connected to a wireless network, this will display the Nautilus’ IP address used for uploading files from Cura and accessing Duet Web Control.
• Disable WiFi: Disables WiFi on the Nautilus until manually enabled or the Nautilus is restarted.
• Enable WiFi: Enables WiFi on the Nautilus. Only necessary if you have disabled the WiFi.
• Forget All Networks: Removes all remembered networks from the Nautilus.
• Reconnect to WiFi: Re-establishes a wireless connection by resetting the WiFi module and sending a new DHCP request.

• Change Tool: Use this when you want to change or unload a Tool Cartridge. Remember to unload material before initiating this process. The process will reset the heater fault that is triggered when you remove a Tool Cartridge.
• Cooldown: Turns OFF all heaters on the Nautilus.
• Material Load: Runs the material loading procedure. Make sure to preheat first; if you are changing materials, always preheat for the higher of the two materials.
• Material Unload: Runs the material unloading procedure. Make sure to preheat first; if you are changing materials, always preheat for the higher of the two materials.
• Power Loss Recovery: In the event of a power loss during a print job, this feature gives you the chance to resume/save the job. This recovery relies on the power stored in capacitors to run some emergency procedures before all power is lost. Additionally, jobs using materials that shrink significantly as they cool may not be resumable if the printer has cooled before power loss recovery is initiated. Power loss recovery is not guaranteed to work every time, and you should always visually inspect the Nautilus and the part to make sure the part is still stuck to the Print Surface and everything looks in order with the printer.

The Print Tab gives you control over the active print job. Here you can adjust print speed, printing temperature, Z-offset, and view remaining time estimates.

1. Print Job Name: Displays the name of the active print job. If not displaying, toggle to another tab and then back to the Print Tab.
2. Printer Status: Displays the current printer status.
3. Stop: The button acts as a software emergency stop. For all intents and purposes, it is like turning the printer OFF and then back ON again. Use this if you need to stop what the printer is doing urgently.
4. Heatbed ON/OFF: Turns the bed heater ON and OFF.
5. Hotend ON/OFF: Turns the hotend heater ON and OFF.
6. Current Heater Temperatures: The current temperature of the heaters on the Nautilus display in Celcius.
   • Red - the heater is ON and heating to the set active temperature.
   • Green - the heater is OFF.
   • Purple - Heater Fault. Check to ensure that the tool is properly inserted.
7. Active Heater Temperatures: The temperature the heaters will heat to when powered ON. Click the box below the desired heater to manually adjust the active temperature.
8. Standby Heater Temperatures: The Nautilus does not use standby temperatures. The standby temperature will usually be set the same as the active temperature unless the active temperature is set manually by the user via the display or Duet Web Control. Click the box corresponding to the desired heater to manually adjust the standby temperature.
9. Extruder Flow: Controls the amount of material flowing from the extruder as a percentage. Increase or decrease to adjust for under or over extrusion.
10. Print Speed: This controls the printing speed as a percentage.
11. Part Cooling Fan: This controls the part cooling fan speed as a percentage.
12. Pause/Resume/Cancel: This button will pause the current Job. When a job is paused it will be replaced with a resume button and the babystepping button will be replaced with a cancel button.
13. Babystepping: This allows for micro adjustments to the Z-offset. Used for dialing in the first layer offset. DO NOT use after the first layer has been completed. The babystepping value is reset every time the printer restarts. (Refer to Section 4.1.2 for instructions on permanently saving the Babystepping value.)
14. Tool Head Position XYZ: The current XYZ position of the tool head within the printer.
15. Print Job Progress Bar: Displays the print job progress with a bar visual.
16. Time Remaining Estimates: Three different time remaining estimates based on the file size, amount of filament used for the job, and the layer height.

1. Keyboard: This opens a keyboard for manual entry of G-code commands.
2. Message Time: The time elapsed since the message was initially triggered.
3. Message: Useful information about the status of the printer, calibration results, and error messages.

The Setup Tab is home to the settings and calibration for the touch display on the Nautilus. Here you will be able to adjust your brightness, volume, language, theme, and more.

1. Touch Screen Firmware Version: Displays the version of the PanelDue open source firmware, which the Nautilus touch display is based on.
2. Free Ram: This is primarily for debugging purposes. You should not need to worry about it.
3. Baud Rate: Changing this is not recommended. The default is 57600.
4. Press Feedback Volume: Controls the click that is played to provide auditory feedback when pressing buttons on the display. A value of 0 will turn the press feedback off.
5. Language: Choose the language of the text on the display. This will not affect custom messages on the Nautilus, which are only available in English at this time.
6. Calibrate Touch: If your display is registering presses inaccurately, running this calibration may remedy that.
7. Mirror Display: This will mirror the display left to right and is not recommended for the Nautilus.
8. Invert Display: This will rotate the display 180°. This should not be needed for the Nautilus.
9. Display Theme: Here you can choose a display theme. The default for the Nautilus is Dark theme 2.
10. Brightness Decrease: Decrease the display brightness.
11. Brightness Increase: Increase the display brightness.
12. Automatic Dimming Control: Choose how/if the display will dim if not used for a certain amount of time.
13. Info Timeout: Controls the information pop-up timeout for system messages. The Default value is 5. This does not affect custom messages for the Nautilus, which have message-specific timeouts that are not user controllable.
14. Clear Settings: This will restore all settings to the Duet factory defaults NOT the Nautilus defaults.

Duet Web Control is a browser-based UI for your Nautilus that allows full control from any computer on the same network. Duet Web Control can be accessed by typing your Nautilus’ IP address in the URL bar of your browser. This is a limited overview of the Duet Web Control interface; for a more detailed description visit Duet Web Control Manual.

1. G-code entry box: Allows you to quickly send G-code commands to your Nautilus.
2. Upload & Start: Upload sliced prints to your Nautilus. It is recommended to start prints directly from the printer to make sure everything is properly set up for printing.
3. Emergency Stop: This button acts as a software emergency stop. For all intents and purposes, it is like turning the printer OFF and then back ON again. Use this if you need to stop what the printer is doing urgently.
4. Status: Displays the status of important values including Tool Head position/speed and sensor values.
5. Tools: Displays nozzle and bed temperatures, they can also be adjusted from this box.
6. Temperature: Plots nozzle and bed temperatures over the course of a print.
7. Current Tab: Displays the selected tab from the sidebar (Items 8-10). The default is Status. The sidebar and everything in the top section of Duet Web Control will stay the same regardless of the selected tab.
8. Machine Control: This category contains tabs that allow you to control your Nautilus.
   • Dashboard: Allows you to control the motors and fans as well as run macros.
   • G-Code Console: This is the same as the Console tab on the Touch Interface.
   • Height Map: Displays the data from the last bed probing sequence.
9. Current Job: This category contains some simple controls including babystepping as well as the Status tab, which gives current information about your Nautilus.
10. File Management: This category contains tabs that give access to various important files on your Nautilus.
    • G-Code Jobs: Same as the Print Jobs menu on the Control Tab. Run, add, delete, or organize print jobs.
    • Macros: Same as the Macros menu on the touch interface. Run, add, delete, or organize macros.
    • Filaments: This tab is not used by default on the Nautilus. You can upload filament specific macros in this tab.
    • System: Access to the configuration and system files for your Nautilus. It is not recommended to edit these files unless you understand what you are changing
11. Settings: This category contains a settings interface for Duet Web Control as well as your Nautilus.
    • General: Duet Web Control settings. You should not have to change most of these settings except for theme control and adding a wireless webcam. These settings carry over between different printers running on Duets.
    • Machine-specific: Duet Web Control settings for your Nautilus, including some basic machine settings such as temperatures and babystepping.

Tool cartridges are quick and easy to change and offer a wide variety of printing capabilities from high detail to rapid drafting.

Changing a Tool Cartridge

1. Before starting, make sure to unload filament.
2. On the Control tab select the Change Tool option from the menu in the top right.
3. Once the printer stops moving, a message will pop up prompting you to remove the installed Tool Cartridge. Remove the Tool Cartridge by grabbing the white tab located on the right side of the print head. Pull the tab to the right and up slightly. The Tool Cartridge is held in by both friction and a magnet so it will take a little force to get it out.
   • ⚠ CAUTION The Tool Cartridge may be HOT when you remove it, especially if it was just heated to remove filament.
4. When you are ready, insert the new Tool Cartridge you want to use. Make sure the red line on the tool cartridge is covered by the Tool Head. Press OK on the pop-up message to clear the heater fault that was triggered by removing the previous tool. You are now ready to use your Nautilus.

All X Series Tool Cartridges use genuine E3D Nozzle X, a specially designed, hardened steel nozzle plated with nickel for abrasion resistance and a W2 coating for low friction and better flow properties. These nozzles are suitable for all FFF materials supported on the Nautilus. They can withstand repeated use of abrasive materials like carbon or glass fiber reinforced materials.

The thermal properties of Nozzle X often require a 5°C to 10°C temperature increase over what would be used for a typical brass nozzle of the same nozzle diameter.

X 400 - all around

This is the standard, 0.4mm Tool Cartridge included with every Nautilus. It offers a great balance between speed and detail. Additional Tool Cartridges for more specialized applications are sold separately.

X 800 - rapid drafting

This large, 0.8mm nozzle diameter Tool Cartridge excels at printing large parts quickly when there are no small features and surface finish is less important. Due to the much thicker extrusion width, parts are typically stronger when printed with this tool.

All B Series Tool Cartridges use genuine E3D Brass Nozzles. Brass’ thermal properties improve flow properties allowing for faster printing speeds. These nozzles are only suitable for non-abrasive materials; repeated use of abrasive materials will likely damage your nozzle.

B 250 - high detail

The 0.25mm Tool Cartridge can produce very high detail prints at the cost of greatly increased print times. It is best used for smaller parts that have small features and need a smooth surface finish. Due to the thin extrusion width, parts are typically weaker than those printed with larger nozzles.

Magnetic, removable Print Surfaces offer easy part removal and are easy to switch so you are always using the ideal Print Surface for the material and application.

PEI - All around

The BuildTak PEI Print Surface is a great all around print surface offering good part adhesion for many commonly used materials. The part of the print in contact with BuildTak PEI will have a smooth, semi-glossy surface finish on the part of the print that is in contact with the Print Surface. This is the stock print surface included with the Nautilus.

BuildTak Original (discontinued) - Increased adhesion for some materials

The BuildTak Original Print Surface provides extra bed adhesion for materials like ABS and Co-polyesters (PETG, CPE, etc). The part of the print in contact with BuildTak Original will have a more matte, textured surface finish on the part of the print that is in contact with the Print Surface.

Phenolic - Ideal for Nylons and use with bed adhesives

This Phenolic Print Surface is great for Nylon and Co-polyester based materials without the need for bed adhesives. The Phenolic Print Surface provides a glossy surface finish on the part of the print that is in contact with the Print Surface.

Changing a Print Surface is easy! Just grab the plate from the front corners and lift up. When reinstalling, make sure the two screws at the back of the build plate align and are fully seated in the notched cutouts at the back of the Print Surface.

⚠ CAUTION The Print Surface may be HOT, especially if a print job with a high build plate temperature just finished.

In order to work effectively, your Print Surface must be extremely clean. Before every print, make sure your Print Surface is clean of bed adhesives. If not, they can be washed off with warm water and the soft side of a sponge. Then make sure to remove dirt and oils by wiping with 90% or higher IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol). If your current material requires it, apply a bed adhesive or material interface.

Every Nautilus ships with a tool kit that contains some of the key tools and replacement parts you will need to maintain your Nautilus and post-process your 3D printed parts. This tool kit is designed to get you started, you will probably find that there are additional tools you want to use.

Below is a brief overview of all the items included in your Nautilus tool Kit.

1. IPA Wipes: These isopropyl alcohol wipes are for wiping down your Print Surface. We recommend doing this at the beginning of every print job. These will get you through your first few prints, but it is recommended to purchase a bottle of IPA and paper towels at your local convenience store. More information on Print Surface preparation can be found in Section 1.4.2.
2. Wire Brush: This can be used for a number of things, but is primarily intended for cleaning plastic bits out of the extruder gears and cleaning the nozzle on the Tool Cartridge if burnt plastic begins to build up. More on this in Section 7.
3. Tool Cartridge Maintenance Kit: This includes replacement parts for your Tool Cartridge as well as some cleaning needles, which can be helpful for clearing jams in the Nozzle. See Section 7 for more info.
4. Hex Key Set: All the necessary sizes of hex keys to unscrew the bolts on your Nautilus during maintenance, etc.
5. Deburring Tool: This is intended for removing brims on printed parts after printing. More information on post-processing printed parts can be found in Section 3.6.
6. Spatula: While most parts can be removed from the Print Surface by flexing, some parts need a little extra help. The spatula can be used to get underneath the part and pry it off.
   • ⚠ CAUTION Be careful, you can damage the laminated surface on your Print Surface with the spatula if you are scraping too aggressively.
   • ⚠ IMPORTANT The spatula has a very sharp edge, always scrape away from yourself. Gloves are recommended.
7. Pliers: The cutter at the base of the plier jaws can be used for cutting a fresh tip on the filament, which is recommended before loading filament. The pliers can also be useful for support removal after a part has finished printing.
8. Flush Cutters: The flush cutters can also be used for cutting a fresh tip on the filament, which is recommended before loading filament. They can also be useful for cutting away support material after a part has finished printing.
9. Tweezers: The tweezers can come in handy for many things, including grabbing things in tight places during maintenance and repairs, removing support material from hard to reach areas on a part after printing, and more.
10. Hobby Knife: This hobby knife is useful for removing brims in tight areas where the deburring tool is less effective. You will likely find many other uses for the hobby knife when removing supports and cleaning up parts after they have been printed.
    • ⚠ IMPORTANT The hobby knife has a very sharp edge, always be careful and cut away from yourself whenever possible.

Melting filament during printing is known to release fumes and microplastics of varying degrees of toxicity. The Nautilus’ fully enclosed design helps to keep these fumes contained, but for certain printing environments and filaments, this may not be enough.

A filter designed specifically for the Nautilus is in the works, but in the meantime you may want to implement your own solution. Under the black cover on the back of the Nautilus are two 80mm fan ports.

If you plan to print with more toxic materials like Vinyl, you may want to look into a filter system like the 3D PrintPro by BOFA (https://bofainternational.com/us/find-pr...). We plan to release a 3D printable adapter for these filters sometime in the future.

At Hydra Research we stand behind our products. We have a number of support options detailed below.

All Nautilus firmware updates can be found on our website located in the support section.

The Hydra Research Community Forum is a great place to get help with any issues you might be having, share ideas, and make suggestions. We do our best to be active with our community on our forum, so please do not hesitate to join and post.

Hydra Research Community Forum

If you are having any problems with your Nautilus, be they hardware, software, or anything else, do not hesitate to reach out to support.

Contact Hydra Research Support

The Nautilus utilizes the powerful Duet platform for the mainboard, touch panel, and web control. The Duet is a modular and extremely adaptable, open-source 3D printer and CNC control system. The Nautilus is not the only printer that uses this system; the Duet community is quite large and a great secondary source of information and support. We encourage you to check out the following resources if you want to delve deeper into how your Nautilus operates or you would like to join the Duet community for more support options and sharing of ideas.

Duet Forum

Duet Documentation