Patent ID: 7128505

Claim:
An apparatus for preventing chips from being scattered in a machine tool that allows a spindle to move relative to and cut a workpiece, comprising: a support member mounted on a stationary portion of said machine tool so as, during workpiece cutting, to keep constant a position of the support member relative to the workpiece in a direction of en axis of movement of said spindle and to keep constant a position of the support member relative to said spindle in directions orthogonal to the axis; and a liquid discharge device mounted to said support member and which has a liquid discharge opening; wherein said liquid discharge device is arranged to surround an area where said spindle moves or a cutting tool mounted for movement with the spindle moves, wherein said liquid discharge device has an air inlet path having a first opening and a second opening, wherein the first opening of said air inlet path is provided on an inside of said liquid discharge opening of the liquid discharge device, while the second opening of the air inlet path is provided at a position isolated from an air current caused by a revolution of the spindle, wherein liquid is discharged from said liquid discharge opening in a substantially continuous cylindrical film shape coaxial with the axis of spindle movement, surrounding and continuously spaced from the workpiece to prevent scattering of cutting chips laterally from the workpiece, and wherein air exits said first opening and moves in a space between the film shape liquid and the spindle to prevent disruption of the film shape by the air current caused by the revolution of the spindle.