The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-8JP36-0AA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 160 A continuous current, with an ETU550 electronic trip unit. Its headline interrupting rating hits 440 kA at 240 V, dropping to 330 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 220 kA at 500 V, and 53 kA at 690 V — that SCCR headroom covers most industrial distribution panels feeding motor control centers or welding lines without needing upstream current-limiting fuses.
What the ratings mean for fit
The 160 A rating holds flat across the full ambient range from 40 °C to 70 °C — no derating curve to chase when the panel sits near a furnace line or a hot transformer bay. That thermal stability matters for a body-shop weld line where ambient can spike mid-shift and you can't afford a nuisance trip at takt time. The ETU550 electronic trip unit gives adjustable long-time pickup (Ir) and short-time delay (tsd from 0.05 s to 0.5 s), plus an adjustable instantaneous pickup. That means you can coordinate selectively downstream with feeder breakers — critical on a multi-drop power distribution bus where a fault on one branch shouldn't drop the whole panel. With communication function onboard, this MCCB can report trip events and load current over a fieldbus network — no separate current transformer or I/O module needed. That saves a DIN rail slot and simplifies the BOM for a controls integrator wiring a safety CPU separation.
Lifecycle and sourcing reality
The lifecycle stage is marked as current — meaning Siemens still actively manufactures and supports this order code. No last-time-buy notice or phase-out date is available.
Integration and mounting
Dimensions are 181 mm high, 105 mm wide, 86 mm deep — fits standard MCCB panel cutouts and busbar centers. The front face carries IP40 protection, adequate for enclosed switchgear but not for washdown zones. Mounting is via screw-clamp terminals to busbars or cable lugs; no DIN-rail adapter on this frame size.