S6 frame, 172 x 120 x 170 mm — panel fit and conductor sizing
The 3RT1055-6AB36: That footprint lands it in the larger contactor bracket — plan for a panel depth of at least 190 mm to clear the rear arc chamber and wiring gutters. Main power circuit accepts stranded conductors from 25 mm² up to 120 mm². That range covers everything from a 50 mm² motor feed to a 95 mm² distribution bus — the lug well is sized for the full cross-section, so no adapter needed for the upper end. That's standard control wiring — 1.5 mm² for signal runs, 2.5 mm² for interposing relay feeds. Mounting is by screw fixing through a single 9 mm hole per the S6 pattern.
Coil 23-26 V screw terminals, switching rates per duty class
The magnet coil is rated 23-26 V with screw-type terminals. That's a narrow-band DC coil — confirm your control supply sits inside that window; a 24 V nominal rail with 5% tolerance (22.8-25.2 V) is fine, but a 24 V rail with 10% droop under load dips to 21.6 V and risks drop-out. Operating times are 40-60 ms for both AC and DC coil supply. Arcing time runs 10-15 ms. For sequencing logic, budget 70 ms from coil energisation to main contact closure — the PLC scan cycle needs to account for that window if you're interlocking with another device. Maximum switching rates vary by duty: AC-1 (resistive) 800 cycles/hour, AC-3 (motor start/run) 750 cycles/hour, AC-2 (slip-ring motor) 300 cycles/hour, AC-4 (plugging/inching) 130 cycles/hour. For a conveyor running AC-3 duty at 750 ops/h, that's one start every 4.8 seconds — the contactor is rated for that cadence without accelerated wear.
Auxiliary contact ratings and thermal clearance
The contactor ships with an auxiliary switch block. That derating curve is typical for DC switching — the arc extinguishes slower at higher voltage, so the contact gap limits the current. For a 24 VDC PLC input circuit, the 10 A rating gives generous headroom. Those are the free-air gaps needed for natural convection cooling — stacking contactors tighter than that derates the thermal capacity. In a sealed enclosure with restricted airflow, increase the side gaps to 20 mm. The -25 °C floor means it's fine for unheated plant rooms in temperate climates, but not for freezer applications without a heater.
Lifecycle and sourcing — active production, quoted to order
Mechanical endurance is 10,000,000 typical cycles. That's the contactor frame life — the electrical endurance at rated AC-3 current will be lower, but the mechanical figure tells you the actuator and spring set are built for high-cycle applications like conveyor sortation or pump cycling.