It mounts via screw or snap-on onto 35 mm DIN rail per DIN EN 60715, and its mounting position allows +/-180° rotation on a vertical surface plus +/-22.5° tilt forward/backward, giving panel builders flexibility in tight enclosures. The contactor carries a 20 hp rating at 400 V, which is the motor horsepower figure that governs its selection for three-phase induction motor duty. It is rated for AC-3 switching at up to 850 operating cycles per hour, matching the duty cycle of conveyors, pumps, and compressors.
The 20 hp at 400 V rating is the headline motor-switching capacity — this contactor is sized for a 20 hp, 400 V three-phase induction motor in AC-3 duty (starting and stopping under load). The AC-3 switching frequency of 850 cycles/hour means it can handle frequent starts typical of a conveyor or compressor without overheating. For resistive loads (AC-1), the contactor is rated at 900 cycles/hour. For plugging or inching duty (AC-4), the rate drops to 250 cycles/hour — a real constraint if the application involves reversing or jogging. The auxiliary contact block is present and carries its own voltage-dependent current ratings: 10 A at 24 V, 2 A at 48 V, 2 A at 60 V, 1 A at 110 V, 0.9 A at 125 V, 0.3 A at 220 V, 3 A at 400 V, and 0.8 A at 440 V (-). These are the maximum currents the auxiliary contacts can break at those voltages — important for control circuit design. The contactor is rated for 50/60 Hz operation with a power factor of 0.35 at 50 Hz and 0.41 at 60 Hz — these are the load power factors the contactor is designed to switch, not the coil draw.
Wiring and Panel Integration
The main power terminals accept solid conductors from 2.5 to 16 mm² and stranded conductors from 6 to 70 mm². The coil terminals are spring-type, accepting 2x (0.5 to 2.5 mm²) solid or stranded. This is a mixed termination scheme — spring-cage for the coil, screw-type for the main poles — so the wireman needs both a screwdriver and a spring-release tool. Physical dimensions: 70 mm wide, 140 mm high, 152 mm deep. These clearances are for arc flash and heat dissipation — not just mechanical fit. The contactor has 10 main contacts and an arcing time of 10 to 20 ms, with a switching time at AC of 10 to 21 ms.
Because it is active and widely used, there is no pressure to find a substitute. The closest functional peer in the SIRIUS family would be a different frame size or coil voltage variant — but the 3RT2046-3AR60 is the specific S3, 20 hp at 400 V configuration. If you are sourcing for a panel that was specified around a smaller SIRIUS contactor like the 3RT2027-1AP60, the 3RT2046-3AR60 is a larger frame (S3 vs S0) and will not drop in without panel rework — different footprint, different terminal spacing.