What this MCCB delivers on the line
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1220-5EF42-0AF0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for line protection, carrying a TM240 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. At 40 °C it handles 200 A continuous without derating; that figure holds through 50 °C, then steps down to 194 A at 55 °C, 188 A at 60 °C, 182 A at 65 °C, and 176 A at 70 °C. The breaking capacity is what makes this part stand out in a distribution panel: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, 30 kA at 500 V, and 17 kA at 690 V. That kind of SCCR headroom means it can sit upstream of a high-fault bus without needing a current-limiting fuse ahead of it — useful when you're coordinating a feeder breaker for a motor control center or a transformer secondary. The 70 mm depth and 140 mm width fit a standard SENTRON draw-out or fixed-mount chassis, so it drops into an existing 3VA lineup without reworking the bus bars. Insulation voltage is rated 800 V, which covers 690 V systems with margin. The auxiliary switch configuration — 1 auxiliary + 1 trip alarm switch HQ — gives you one NO/NC for status feedback and a separate alarm contact that closes only on a trip event, not on manual switching. That's a clean way to signal a fault to a PLC without ladder logic to distinguish a manual off from a protective trip.
Panel integration notes
Mounts in a standard SENTRON draw-out cradle or fixed-mount base. The 140 mm width occupies four 35 mm DIN spaces if using the DIN-rail adapter; verify the specific mounting kit for your panel. Power loss is 42 W at rated load — that's the heat you need to vent in a sealed enclosure. Storage temperature range of -40 to 80 °C and operating range of -25 to 70 °C cover most indoor and sheltered outdoor installations. The supplied basic switch is order code 3VA12205EF420AA0, which is the switching mechanism inside the molded case; if you're ordering spare internals, that's the number to reference.