The Schneider Altivar VW3A4563 is a three-phase line choke rated 509 A with 0.038 mH inductance, dissipating 280 W at full load. It sits between the mains supply and a variable-speed drive to reduce current harmonics — smoothing the input waveform and limiting peak currents that would otherwise stress the drive's DC bus capacitors and upstream protection. The 5 % maximum voltage drop at rated load is typical for a line choke of this class; the drive's control loop compensates for it.
Schneider has marked the VW3A4563 as Obsolete.
The 509 A rated current is the continuous RMS current the choke can carry without exceeding its Class F insulation temperature rise. Thermal management matters: the 280 W losses must be vented out of the enclosure. At IP00 the choke is open-frame — no enclosure, so it relies on the panel's own airflow. Mount it with clearance around the core; the 11.5 mm creepage distance and 5.5 mm clearance meet IEC 60664 for pollution degree 2, which covers typical industrial control panels with non-conductive dust. Operating altitude derating starts at 1000 m: 1 % per 100 m above that. Ambient temperature derating kicks in above 45 °C: 2 % per °C up to 55 °C. Below 45 °C, no derating needed.
The choke handles 15 gn shock for 11 ms and vibration up to 1 gn at 13–200 Hz — tough enough for floor-mounted drives near rotating machinery. The environmental classification 3B1 / 3C2 / 3S1 per IEC 721-3-3 means it's rated for stationary use in weather-protected locations with moderate temperature and humidity — a standard industrial panel environment, not a washdown zone.