Siemens 3RT1046-1AD20 SIRIUS S3 Power Contactor
Side-by-side mounting is supported, which keeps the panel width tight when grouping multiple contactors. The main power circuit uses screw-type terminals, accepting solid conductors up to 2x (0.75... 4 mm²) and stranded up to 2x (10... 50 mm²). For the control circuit, solid wire range is 2x (0.5... 1.5 mm²) or 2x (0.75... 2.5 mm²).
Duty Ratings and Mechanical Life
The contactor is rated for different switching duties: AC-1 (resistive) at 900 operations per hour, AC-2 (slip-ring motors) at 350 ops/h, AC-3 (squirrel-cage motors) at 850 ops/h, and AC-4 (inching/plugging) at 250 ops/h. Typical mechanical life is 10,000,000 operations. These times matter for coordination with upstream short-circuit protection — the contactor clears the arc fast enough that a semiconductor fuse or MCCB can isolate the fault without welding the main contacts.
Environmental and Enclosure Ratings
The front face carries IP20 with a cover or box terminal; the terminal body itself is IP00. That means the contactor body is finger-safe from the front once the cover is on, but the wiring compartment needs to be inside a panel or enclosure. For a hot panel near a furnace line, the +60 °C operating limit is the hard ceiling — derate switching frequency if ambient exceeds that. Rated for 50 Hz and 60 Hz operation, with operating ranges of 0.8 to 1.1 at 50 Hz and 0.85 to 1.1 at 60 Hz. The rated control supply voltage at 50 Hz is 42 V; at 60 Hz it's also 42 V. For a 24 VDC control circuit, the contactor draws 10 A at rated value; at 60 VDC it draws 2 A; at 110 VDC it draws 1 A; at 220 VDC it draws 0.3 A.