What the 3RT7036-1AP00 Is and What It Does
The Siemens 3RT7036-1AP00 is a SIRIUS size S2 contactor with three normally-open main poles, an AC coil, and screw-type terminals for both the main and auxiliary circuits. It's rated for AC-3 duty up to 690 V, meaning it's built to switch three-phase induction motors under full load — the kind of repetitive inrush that welds a general-purpose relay shut. The IP20 front enclosure keeps fingers and tools out of the live terminals inside the panel; the terminal area itself is IP00, so it expects enclosure protection.
Mounting and Panel Fit
Mounts via screw or snap-on onto a 35 mm DIN rail per DIN EN 50022, which is the standard for European-style control panels. The S2 footprint — 55 mm wide, 112 mm tall, 115 mm deep — fits a single modular device slot; side-by-side mounting is allowed, so you can gang several contactors without forced spacing. Mounting position is flexible: ±180° rotation on a vertical surface, plus ±22.5° tilt forward or backward, which helps when the panel layout is tight and the rail is at an odd angle.
Ratings That Matter for the Application
The AC-3 maximum switching rate is 800 operations per hour; AC-4 (plugging/reversing) drops to 250 per hour — the mechanical life is there, but the arc erosion under AC-4 is the limiter. For DC-13 loads at 220 V, it's rated 0.3 A, which covers solenoids and brake coils in that voltage class. The auxiliary contacts are rated for PLC-level signals: 17 V, 5 mA minimum, so they'll reliably switch a 24 VDC PLC input without needing a separate interface relay.
Coil and Control Considerations
The AC coil draws 0.36 A at 50 Hz, 0.38 A at 60 Hz during pickup; holding power is 0.36 W DC equivalent. That's a standard SIRIUS coil — no surprises for the control transformer sizing. The control supply voltage is AC only; if your panel runs a 24 VDC control bus, you'll need the DC-coil variant.