Protective cover for guiding paths of machine tools

A protective cover system which includes:

• a guiding path for use in connection with machine tools, a plurality of cover plates overlapping each other and telescopically movable into and out of each other, said cover plates successively decreasing in size from one end of said protective cover system to the other end thereof from an intermediate position in one direction into a first end position and in the opposite direction into a second end position, each of said cover plates having a front end face wall section resting on said guiding path and also having a rear end section resting on the respective adjacent next smaller cover plate, and energy storing means arranged between said individual cover plates and operable to exert a return force amounting to substantially zero in said intermediate position and having its greatest magnitude in said first and second end positions, each of said energy storing means comprising a cylinder-piston system and an elastic body interposed between said piston and an end wall in said cylinder and also comprising at least one cam segment between said cylinder and said piston for selectively compressing and relieving said elastic body, and fork-shaped rods for affecting a relative movement of said cylinder-piston system and said cam segment by said fork-shaped rods, said fork-shaped rods having arms defining said fork-shaped portion and being linked to said cover plates, said energy storing means being arranged at the outer end of a fork-shaped rod, two pairs each of fork-shaped rods being arranged between the front end face wall sections of said cover plates, each of said cylinder-piston systems including a counter piston, and means for selectively adjusting said counter piston, the elastic bodies being tubular and made of a fatigue-resistant elastic substance, the pistons of said cylinder-piston systems and said counter pistons being made of a self-lubricating material.