What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1196-6EF32-0KA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated 16 A continuous at 40 °C, designed for line protection in industrial power distribution. It carries a 220 kA interrupting capacity at 240 VAC — that's the short-circuit current it can safely clear without welding contacts or rupturing the case, which matters when you're protecting a panel fed from a high-fault transformer. The TM240 thermal-magnetic release handles overloads and short circuits, and the built-in shunt trip (STL) lets you remotely trip the breaker from a PLC or emergency-stop circuit.
Breaking capacity and temperature derating
The interrupting rating drops as voltage rises: 154 kA at 415 V, 121 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 500 V and 690 V. That means on a 400 V system you still have headroom for most industrial fault levels. The continuous current holds steady at 16 A from 40 °C up to 55 °C, then derates to 15 A at 60 °C and 65 °C, and stays at 15 A through 70 °C. So if you're mounting this in a warm enclosure near motor drives, you lose only 1 A above 55 °C — not a showstopper for a 16 A feeder.
Dimensions and panel fit
The breaker measures 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint — it'll fit most DIN-rail or panel-mount bases without re-drilling. The shunt trip adds a couple of control wires, but the overall depth stays at 70 mm, which is tight enough for shallow enclosures.