What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1180-4EF36-0BA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection. It carries an 80 A rating at 40 °C and delivers a 121 kA interrupting capacity at 240 V, which means it can safely clear a fault well above typical service-entrance levels without welding contacts or venting gas into the panel. The 3VA1180-4EF36-0BA0 includes an undervoltage release (UVR) as the auxiliary release, so it drops the breaker when control voltage falls below the dropout threshold — a standard requirement for motor feeder circuits where loss of control power must disconnect the load.
Ratings that matter for the panel
This MCCB uses a TM240 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release, meaning the thermal element handles overloads and the magnetic element handles short circuits. The interrupting capacity drops as voltage rises: 75.6 kA at 415 V, 52.5 kA at 440 V, and 11.9 kA at both 500 V and 690 V — so for a 480 V system you've got solid headroom, but at 690 V the available fault current needs to stay under 12 kA. The breaker holds its full 80 A rating from 40 °C up to 50 °C, then derates gradually to 74 A at 70 °C. That matters for non-air-conditioned electrical rooms or enclosures near hot machinery — you don't lose headroom until the ambient climbs above 50 °C. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so the breaker is suitable for 480 V and 600 V class systems with margin. The 3-pole construction handles three-phase feeders. No communication function or ground-fault monitoring on this variant — it's a straight thermal-magnetic breaker with UVR.
Physical fit and mounting
Footprint is 130 mm high by 76.2 mm wide by 70 mm deep. The width is a standard 3-inch (76.2 mm) form factor for 3-pole MCCBs, so it drops into existing panel cutouts sized for that class without rework. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. Maximum power loss is 21.7 W, which is moderate for an 80 A frame — factor that into enclosure heat dissipation if the panel is tightly packed.