What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1040-3ED36-0DH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated 40 A continuous at 40 °C ambient, with a 75.6 kA interrupting capacity at 240 V AC — enough to clear a high-fault panel feeder without cascading upstream. The 800 V rated insulation voltage means it's comfortable on 480 V or 600 V distribution, not just 240 V. It's designed for line protection, so the thermal-magnetic trip curve is set for feeder and main breaker duty, not motor-starting. This variant ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) built in and comes configured with 2 auxiliary switches plus a separate trip alarm switch. That means you get both status feedback and a UVR coil that drops the breaker if control voltage falls — common on safety circuits or emergency-stop chains where a loss of control power should open the main.
Interrupting ratings across voltages
The interrupting capacity steps down as voltage climbs: 75.6 kA at 240 V, 52.5 kA at 415 V, 32 kA at 440 V, and 7.5 kA at both 500 V and 690 V (–). For a 480 V panel, the 32 kA at 440 V figure is the closest reference — that's still well above typical 480 V available fault currents in most commercial and light industrial distribution. At 690 V the 7.5 kA limit means this breaker is not a fit for high-fault 690 V drives or transformer secondaries without a current-limiting upstream device.
Thermal derating and panel integration
The 40 A rating holds flat from 40 °C through 50 °C (–), then derates to 38.4 A at 55 °C, 37.6 A at 60 °C, 36.8 A at 65 °C, and 36 A at 70 °C (–). In a sealed panel with multiple breakers ganged, expect to use the 55 °C or 60 °C column. The 70 mm depth and 76.2 mm width mean it fits standard Siemens SENTRON panelboard and distribution block footprints — no special adapter needed for a 3-pole MCCB slot.