The Siemens 3VA1163-6EF36-0AF0 is a SENTRON 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 63 A continuous current with a TM240 thermal-magnetic release. It's built for line protection — meaning it sits upstream of a feeder or distribution panel, not as a motor-protective device. The 220 kA breaking capacity at 240 V is the headline number: that's the fault it can safely interrupt without welding contacts or venting plasma into the enclosure. At 415 V it still holds 154 kA, and at 690 V it drops to 17 kA — the arc energy scales with voltage, so the interrupt rating falls off accordingly.
Thermal derating and panel fit
The 63 A rating holds flat from 40 °C to 50 °C ambient. Above that it derates: 60.48 A at 55 °C, 59.22 A at 60 °C, 57.96 A at 65 °C, and 56.7 A at 70 °C. If your panel runs hot — say a non-ventilated enclosure near a furnace line — you need to account for that drop. The TM240 release is adjustable for the long-time pickup, so you can dial it down to match the derated conductor ampacity. Physical footprint: 76.2 mm wide, 130 mm tall, 70 mm deep. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB width for a 63 A frame; it'll fit a 200 mm wide DIN-rail section with room for the auxiliary on the side.
Auxiliary contacts and status feedback
Comes with one auxiliary switch and one trip alarm switch, both HQ (high-qualified) contacts. The auxiliary tracks the breaker's on/off position; the alarm trips only on a fault event — useful for a remote annunciator or PLC input that distinguishes a manual open from a short-circuit trip. No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no communication module on this variant. If you need remote tripping or Modbus telemetry, you'd step up to a 3VA2 with the electronic release and communication option.