What the 63 A rating and 187 kA breaking capacity mean for your panel
The Siemens 3VA2163-5MN36-0HA0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 63 A continuous current, and it holds that rating flat from 40 °C all the way up to 70 °C — no derating curve to calculate for a warm cabinet. That 63 A is the thermal-magnetic continuous current, sized for motor protection duty (the product design is explicitly motor protection). The breaking capacity at 240 V is 187 kA, which means this breaker can safely interrupt a fault current up to that level without welding contacts or cascading upstream — critical for high-fault panels near large transformers or in industrial distribution. At 415 V and 440 V it still handles 121 kA, and at 500 V it's 75.6 kA; only at 690 V does it drop to 3.7 kA, so keep that in mind if your line voltage is above 500 V. The auxiliary release is a shunt trip (STL) — that's the '5MN36' position in the order code. It lets you trip the breaker remotely via a control voltage, which is standard for emergency-stop circuits or remote shutdown. There is no undervoltage release on this variant, and no communication function built in, so if you need remote status monitoring, plan for an auxiliary contact block separately. Phase failure detection is built in, so the breaker will trip if one phase drops out — a common cause of motor burnout on conveyor or pump loads. The trip indicator is not present on this unit, meaning you won't get a mechanical flag showing the breaker tripped on fault vs. manual off; factor that into your troubleshooting workflow.
Mounting dimensions and panel fit
The breaker measures 105 mm wide, 181 mm high, and 86 mm deep. That 86 mm depth is the body only — add clearance for the shunt trip wiring and any auxiliary contact block on the side. It's a 3-pole unit, so it occupies three module positions on a DIN rail or panel-mount base. The width is standard for a 63 A frame in the 3VA2 family, so if you're swapping out an older Sentinel or 3VL breaker, check the mounting footprint against the existing busbar or lug kit.
Environmental limits and power loss
Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C, and storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. Maximum power loss is 4 W — negligible for thermal budgeting in a panel, but worth noting if you're packing multiple breakers in a sealed enclosure. The continuous current rating holds at 63 A across the full operating temperature band, so no derating needed even at 70 °C ambient.