MCCB for motor and starter protection
The Siemens 3VA1163-5MH36-0HH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed specifically for starter protection — meaning it's built to handle the inrush and overload profile of motor starters and contactor combinations, not just general distribution. It's a 3-pole unit rated 63 A continuously at 40 °C, with a thermal derating curve that holds 63 A up to 50 °C, then drops to 62 A at 55 °C, 61 A at 60 °C, 60 A at 65 °C, and 58 A at 70 °C. That's a shallow derating slope, so you don't lose much headroom in a warm panel. Breaking capacity is the headline: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 7.5 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. At 415 V you're well above typical 50 kA utility fault levels, so this breaker gives selectivity headroom without cascading upstream. At 690 V the 7.5 kA limit is the constraint — verify your available fault current if the line runs at that voltage. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, and the breaker includes a trip indicator and voltage trigger. The auxiliary switch configuration is two auxiliary switches plus one trip alarm switch, and a shunt trip (STL) release is built in for remote tripping. Max power loss is 17.3 W, which matters for panel thermal calculations in a sealed enclosure.
Panel fit and mounting
Dimensions: 70 mm depth, 76.2 mm width, 130 mm height. That width is a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint — it drops into a DIN-rail or screw-mount panel position sized for a 76 mm wide device. Depth of 70 mm leaves room for wiring behind the breaker in a 200 mm deep enclosure. The supplied basic switch is 3VA11635MH360AA0.