80 A at 40 °C — the number that governs the fit
The 3RW4046-2BB14 is a Siemens SIRIUS soft starter, S3 frame, rated 80 A at 40 °C ambient. Insulation voltage is 600 V, operating frequency 50/60 Hz, and the control supply accepts 110–230 V DC. Pollution degree 3 per IEC 60947-4-2 means it's rated for industrial environments with conductive contamination.
Motor protection and control — what's built in
Integrated motor overload protection and adjustable current limitation are standard — you don't need a separate overload relay for most applications. The minimum load is 20 % of rated current, so it handles lightly loaded motors without nuisance tripping. Intrinsic device protection covers the soft starter itself against overtemperature and phase imbalance. External reset input allows remote fault clearing, and the red fault display gives a local visual on the panel door. Thyristor-based output stage, no inside-delta circuit option — this is a standard in-line soft starter, not a six-wire configuration. For inside-delta wiring you'd need a different variant.
Mounting and panel integration — S3 frame
Screw and snap-on mounting onto DIN rail. The S3 frame measures 170 mm high, 70 mm wide, 190 mm deep — the depth is the dimension that matters for enclosure depth clearance. Cooling clearances: 60 mm upward, 40 mm downward, 30 mm at the sides. Mounting position limits depend on whether an additional fan is fitted. Without fan: vertical surface, ±10° rotation and ±10° tilt. With fan: vertical surface, ±90° rotation and ±22.5° tilt front/back. Operating temperature range -25 to +60 °C, storage -40 to +80 °C.
Termination — main and control wiring
For the main contacts: accepts 2x (7 AWG to 1/0 AWG) using both clamping points, or 10 AWG to 2/0 AWG using the front or back clamping point individually. Stranded wire: 2x (10 to 70 mm²), finely stranded: 2x (10 to 50 mm²). Auxiliary contacts accept 2x (24 AWG to 14 AWG). Maximum motor cable length is 300 m — beyond that you may need output reactors for reflected wave protection.