The Siemens 3RW5516-3HA15 is a solid-state soft starter designed to ramp motor voltage and current during start-up, reducing mechanical shock and electrical inrush. It covers a rated voltage of 200 to 600 V AC and supports multiple trip classes — CLASS 10A / 10E (default) / 20E / 30E per IEC 60947-4-2 — so you can match the thermal protection to the motor's acceleration profile. It carries ATEX and IECEx certification, meaning it's approved for use in explosive atmospheres where a motor starter must not become an ignition source.
Fieldbus and control integration
The 3RW5516-3HA15 ships with PROFIBUS onboard and also supports Modbus TCP — no separate gateway needed for either. If your control architecture runs EtherNet/IP, note that this unit does not include it natively. An analog output is configurable as 4-20 mA (default) or 0-10 V, letting you feed motor current or torque to a PLC analog input for trending or process interlocks. The unit also includes voltage ramp, pump ramp down, torque control, and a breakaway pulse — all parameterizable via the four onboard parameter sets.
Physical fit and panel space
The enclosure measures 170 mm wide, 275 mm high, and 152 mm deep — a standard footprint for this power class. Clearance requirements are 100 mm upward, 75 mm downward, 10 mm forward, 5 mm at the sides, and 0 mm backward, so you can mount it flush against the back panel if needed. The unit uses screw-type connections — no spring-cage terminals on this variant.
Compliance and approvals at a glance
The 3RW5516-3HA15 carries CE marking, UL approval, and CSA approval — covering the three major industrial certification regimes for North America and Europe. ATEX and IECEx are also listed, so the documentation pack includes the explosion-protection certificates required for hazardous-area installation. Accuracy class is 5 per IEC 61557-12, which defines the measurement uncertainty for the integrated current and voltage metering. Service factor is 1.15, meaning the starter can handle a 15% continuous overload above the rated motor current without tripping.