What this part is and what it does
The Siemens 3RT1016-1BG41 is a SIRIUS power contactor in the size S00 frame — the smallest in the SIRIUS contactor family, built for switching motor loads and resistive circuits in control panels up to 5.5 kW at 690 V. Its coil is rated 125 VDC, and it picks up at 85% of that (about 106 V) and drops out at 110% (about 138 V) — so you need a clean DC supply that stays within that band. The main contacts handle 10 A at 24 VDC, 2 A at 60 VDC, 1 A at 110 VDC, and 0.3 A at 220 VDC — that DC switching curve is the one that matters for breaking inductive loads like DC motor brakes or solenoid valves. On AC, it's rated 6 A at 230 V, 3 A at 400 V, and can handle 4.5 kW at 500 V and 5.5 kW at 690 V in AC-3 duty — that's the motor-switching rating, so it'll start and stop a 5.5 kW squirrel-cage motor on a 690 V line. For tougher motor duty like reversing or plugging (AC-4), it's rated 8.5 A at 400 V; for resistive loads (AC-12), it goes to 10 A maximum.
Where it goes and how it mounts
Mounts via screw or snap-on onto a 35 mm standard mounting rail per DIN EN 50022 — the usual DIN rail in any industrial panel. Side-by-side mounting is allowed with zero clearance, so you can pack multiple contactors on the same rail without spacing them out. The enclosure is IP20 on the front and at the terminals — fine for a clean, dry panel, but keep it out of washdown zones; this is a panel-side part, not a field-mount one. Ambient temperature range is -25 to +60 °C during operation, and it's rated for pollution degree 3 — so it handles the conductive dust and humidity you find in most factory-floor enclosures.
Wiring and terminal details
Main circuit terminals are screw-type, accepting 2x (0.5 to 1.5 mm²), 2x (0.75 to 2.5 mm²), or up to 2x (0.75 to 4 mm²) solid or stranded — also accepts AWG 20–16, 18–14, and single 12 AWG. For short-circuit protection with type 2 coordination (no welding), use a gL/gG fuse rated 20 A; for type 1 (welding allowed but safe), a 35 A fuse works. Mechanical life is 30 million operations — that's a lot of cycles for a contactor this size; the coil draws 3.3 W both closing and holding, so it doesn't heat up the cabinet much in continuous duty.