What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1180-6EF36-0KH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection in distribution panels. It's a 3-pole unit with an 80 A current rating at 40 °C ambient, and it carries a 220 kA breaking capacity at 240 V — that's the short-circuit current it can safely interrupt at that voltage without welding contacts or cascading failure upstream. The insulation voltage is rated 800 V, so it's comfortable in 480/600 V panels. Breaking capacity drops as voltage rises: 154 kA at 415 V, 121 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. That 17 kA at 690 V is still enough for most industrial service-entrance applications, but if your fault current at 480 V is above 121 kA you need a larger frame.
Current rating across the temperature range
This breaker holds 80 A continuously from 40 °C up to 50 °C. Above that it derates: 78 A at 55 °C, 77 A at 60 °C, 75 A at 65 °C, and 74 A at 70 °C. If your panel runs hot — say 60 °C inside the enclosure — you lose 3 A from the nameplate. That's typical for a thermal-magnetic MCCB; the bimetal element sees the ambient heat.
Auxiliary hardware and integration
The breaker ships with a shunt trip (STL) for remote tripping and an auxiliary switch block: 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ). That's enough for status feedback to a PLC or a remote annunciator panel. No undervoltage release is fitted — if you need UVR for emergency-stop circuits, this variant doesn't include it. Dimensions are 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep — a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint for DIN-rail or panel-mount installation. The 70 mm depth means it fits shallow enclosures where a deeper frame would hit the gland plate.