Housing for a packaging machine

A housing. (11a), having a front side and side walls (20a) for a packaging machine (10a), comprising at least one protective plate (62, 63), which is at least partially comprised of transparent material and is disposed on the front side of the housing (11a), wherein said at least one protective plate (62, 63) is supported (by means of guides (60, 61) in the side walls (20a) of the housing (11a), and in order to clear a chamber (18a) disposed inside the housing (11a), said at least one protective plate can be moved in the guides (60, 61), wherein the guides (60, 61) are arc-shaped, at least on the front side of the housing (11a), and wherein the guides (60, 61) have an essentially straight section (66, 68) for said at least one protective plate (62, 63), said at least one protective plate (62) is a flat, flexible plate, a guide strip (71, 72) is connected to a front and a back edge of protective plate (62) from said at least one protective plate (62, 63) each of the guide strips has two rollers (82) fastened to the guide strips on each side of the protective plate (62), and the rollers (82) on one guide strip (71, 72) on each side of the protective plate (62) have a different distance (a1, a2) to the protective plate (62) so that in a transition into an arc-shaped first section (64) of the guide (60), a bending moment (Md) is introduced into the protective plate (62), which produces a curvature in the protective plate (62) that corresponds to a curvature of the arc-shaped first section (64) of the guide (60).