What it is and where it fits
The Siemens 3RT2046-1AN24 is a SIRIUS power contactor, size S3, with screw-type terminals and an integrated auxiliary switch. It mounts on 35 mm DIN rail per DIN EN 60715 — screw and snap-on — so it drops into any standard industrial panel without adapter plates. Rated for continuous operation from -25 °C to +60 °C ambient, it handles the thermal load of a typical motor control center without derating in most climates. Storage range extends to -55 °C to +80 °C, which governs handling and warehousing, not running.
Key ratings and what they mean for your BOM
Mechanical life is 10 million operations typical — that's the contactor body, not the contacts. For AC-3 motor switching (the standard squirrel-cage duty), it's rated at 850 operations per hour maximum; AC-4 (plugging/reversing) drops to 250 ops/h. The AC-1 resistive load rating allows 900 ops/h. These numbers set the thermal cycling limit for the coil and arc chamber, not the mechanical armature. Auxiliary contact ratings: 6 A at 24 V, 2 A at 48/60 V, 1 A at 110 V, 0.9 A at 125 V, 0.3 A at 220 V, 3 A at 400 V, 0.8 A at 440 V. These are the make/break limits for the control circuit — useful for interlocking or PLC input circuits. The 230 V rating is given as 20 hp, which aligns with a typical motor load for this contactor size.
Wiring and panel integration
Solid wire accepted: 2.5 to 16 mm²; stranded: 6 to 70 mm². The screw terminals accept two conductors per clamp for daisy-chaining: 2x (0.5 to 1.5 mm²) solid or stranded, or 2x (0.75 to 2.5 mm²). Mounting position allows +/-180° rotation on a vertical surface and +/-22.5° tilt forward/backward — useful when the panel layout forces an unconventional orientation. Dimensions: 70 mm wide, 140 mm high, 195 mm deep. The depth is the critical clearance dimension for enclosure depth.