It handles motor loads up to 335 kW at 690 V AC or 500 hp at 575-600 V per UL/CSA. The magnetic latching mechanism holds the main contacts closed without continuous coil power — the coil draws 1650 VA only during the latching pulse, then drops to near-zero holding current. This makes it the right choice for applications where sustained coil power is undesirable or unavailable, such as battery-backed or UPS-fed control circuits in industrial panels.
The 500 A AC-3 rating governs motor switching — it's the current the contactor can make and break under full-load motor starts. For resistive loads (AC-1), the conventional free-air thermal current Ith is 700 A at 40 °C, so it handles higher steady-state currents when switching heaters or lighting banks. The rated breaking capacity runs 5000 A at 440 V, tapering to 2500 A at 1000 V — sufficient for fault clearing on most industrial distribution systems.
Coil Configuration and Control Voltage
This contactor uses a split-coil latching design: the latching coil operates on 220 V AC/DC (50/60 Hz or 400 Hz), while the unlatching coil runs on 24 V AC/DC. Both coils have a control voltage tolerance of 0.85 to 1.1 Uc, so the supply must stay within 187-242 V for latching and 20.4-26.4 V for unlatching. The latching pulse draws 1650 VA (AC 50/60 Hz) or 1800 W (DC), but only for the 40-80 ms latching time; unlatching draws 9.5 VA or 13 W for 50-100 ms. Average impedance is 0.18 mOhm per pole at Ith 700 A, which keeps heat dissipation manageable at 45 W per pole in AC-3 duty and 88 W per pole in AC-1.
Physical Integration and Wiring
Dimensions are 233 mm wide by 238 mm high by 232 mm deep — a substantial footprint requiring adequate enclosure space and a 35 N.m tightening torque on the power terminals. Connections accept lugs or ring terminals for up to 2 cables of 240 mm² each, or busbars up to 40 x 5 mm. The 3 NO power pole configuration means it switches all three phases simultaneously. Associated fuse protection is rated at 500 A aM or 800 A gG/BS88 at voltages up to 440 V, which guides upstream protection selection.
Environmental and Durability Limits
Altitude rating is 3000 m without derating. The rated short-time withstand current Icw is 4200 A for 1 second, tapering to 1200 A for 10 minutes — this defines how long the contactor can carry fault current without welding closed, critical for coordination with upstream breakers.