The Siemens 3VA2116-6JP42-0AA0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 160 A continuous current across the full operating temperature range from -25 °C to 70 °C — no derating needed up to 70 °C ambient, which is rare for a 160 A frame and saves you from having to oversize the breaker for warm panels. It carries a 4-pole configuration with an ETU550 electronic trip unit, designed for line protection duty. The ETU550 gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, instantaneous, and ground-fault settings — the kind of selectivity you need for a distribution feeder or a large motor branch circuit where coordination with downstream breakers matters. Short-circuit breaking capacity is serious: 242 kA at 240 V AC, 187 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 121 kA at 500 V, and 3.7 kA at 690 V. Those numbers mean this breaker can sit at the main incoming position in a high-fault panel and still clear a bolted fault without upstream coordination — it's sized for industrial service entrances or large distribution switchboards.
Mounting and integration
The 3VA2116-6JP42-0AA0 measures 181 mm high, 140 mm wide, and 86 mm deep — a 4-pole frame that fits standard MCCB mounting patterns in distribution panels. The IP40 front protection means it's fine for indoor panel mounting where no washdown or dust ingress is expected; keep it behind a gland plate or enclosure door. It ships with a communication function onboard (: yes), so you can tie it into a BMS or SCADA system for remote trip indication and power monitoring without bolting on an external module. An optional motor drive is available for remote open/close — useful for a main breaker that needs to be cycled from a control room. Maximum power loss is 25.5 W at rated current — that's the heat you need to account for in your panel thermal budget. The storage temperature range (-40 °C to 80 °C) covers cold warehouses and hot shipping containers, but the operating range (-25 °C to 70 °C) is what governs the installation environment.