The invention relates to a compartment 10 having a space 32 segregated from air outside the compartment and capable of housing a product apparatus for assembly of, for example, semiconductor devices and integrated circuit packages in a “clean” environment. The compartment 10 includes panels 16 to segregate the air inside the compartment 10 from the surrounding environment. At the front of the compartment 10, there is a top access panel 12 and a bottom access panel 14 to access a production apparatus (not shown) which is houseable or storable within a space 32 for such apparatus defined within the compartment 10. Where it is desired to place a plurality of similar compartments 10 adjacent to one another to provide a production line, an opening 18 can be included in one or both of the side panels 16 for transfer of processed material, such as leadframes for assembling integrated circuit packages, from one production apparatus to another, housed in respective adjacent compartments 10. Thus the or each compartment 10 provides an individual clean space for carrying out a particular step of a production process. It is not therefore necessary to provide a single, massive, clean room.
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