What this 3VA MCCB delivers
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1180-4EF36-0JA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 80 A continuous current at 40 °C, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. It's built for line protection — meaning it sits at the feeder or main breaker position, not on a motor branch. The interrupting capacity at 240 V hits 121 kA, which gives you headroom for high-fault panels where a standard 65 kA MCCB would need a current-limiting fuse upstream. At 415 V the interrupting rating is 75.6 kA, and at 690 V it still holds 11.9 kA — so this breaker handles industrial 400 V distribution without cascading. The TM240 release is a fixed thermal-magnetic unit, not electronic, so there's no adjustment dial for the long-time pickup; you set it and forget it. That's fine for a dedicated feeder where the load doesn't change.
Sizing and thermal reality
The 80 A rating holds steady from 40 °C through 50 °C — no derating needed in a typical 40 °C panel. At 55 °C it drops to 76.8 A, and at 70 °C it's 72 A. If your enclosure sits near a steam line or a curing press, factor that 10 % reduction at the top end. The operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C, with storage from -40 °C to 80 °C.
Panel fit and auxiliary options
The breaker measures 76.2 mm wide by 130 mm tall by 70 mm deep. That 70 mm depth is shallow enough for a 200 mm deep enclosure with room for wiring gutters. It ships without auxiliary contacts or an undervoltage release, but it does carry a shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release — part number 3VA9688-0BL32 for the integrated trip unit. No communication function, no ground-fault monitoring, no phase-failure detection. This is a plain-vanilla thermal-magnetic feeder breaker. Front protection is IP40 — fine for a clean indoor panel, but not rated for washdown or outdoor exposure. The reference code per DIN EN 81346-2 is Q, which aligns with its role as a power switching device in the panel schematic.