63 A MCCB for Motor Protection — SENTRON 3VA Series
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2163-7MN36-0JC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for a full 63 A across the entire 40 °C to 70 °C ambient range — no derating needed as the panel warms up, which is a real advantage in a crowded enclosure or a hot machine cell. It's built specifically for motor protection, with phase failure detection onboard and a shunt trip release (STL) for remote emergency-off or undervoltage tripping. The two HQ auxiliary switches give you status feedback for the PLC or a local indicator lamp. Interrupting capacity hits 330 kA at 240 V and stays strong at 242 kA through 440 V, so it handles high-fault utility feeds without cascading upstream — a good fit for a main breaker in a motor control center.
Dimensions and Panel Fit
The breaker measures 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, and 86 mm deep — a standard SENTRON 3VA frame size that drops into existing panel layouts without re-drilling the mounting plate. It's a DIN-rail or screw-mount design; the 3-pole footprint matches the common 105 mm width for this class, so swapping in from an older 3VA or 3VL frame is straightforward.
Lifecycle and Sourcing Reality
For BOM freeze or compliance audits, the manufacturer provides RoHS and REACH declarations on request; UL and IEC certifications are standard for the SENTRON family.
What the Ratings Mean for Your Build
The 63 A rating is flat from 40 °C to 70 °C — no thermal derating curve to calculate. That's unusual for an MCCB; most competitors start dropping current above 40 °C. In a sealed panel near a VFD or transformer, this saves you from oversizing to the next frame. The shunt trip release (STL) lets you wire a remote pushbutton or safety relay to trip the breaker without running a full-voltage coil circuit. The two HQ auxiliary switches are rated for control-circuit loads — one for the PLC input, one for a panel lamp or alarm. Phase failure detection is built in, so the breaker trips if one phase drops out — critical for motor protection where single-phasing burns out windings fast.