Go behind the scenes of GC America's GC FujiCEM™ 2

When GC Corporation released GC FujiCEM 2 in 2012, this second-generation resin modified glass ionomer luting cement was met with much praise for its F2 Flex Fuse Technology. The F2 Flex Fuse Technology was created and perfected to support indirect restorations through amplified strength, a greater release of fluoride and tremendous reliability, all while maintaining a low film thickness.

As a developer, Futoshi Fusejima took on the task of improving an already successful product. He and his R&D team worked diligently to better the product through customer feedback and released the product to the dental community with the hope that it would be as successful as its predecessor.

We took an inside look at what the process was like from Fusejima’s perspective. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Was there a customer need that spurred the creation of this product?

A: When we decided to develop GC FujiCEM 2, we looked at the background of the previous product called GC FujiCEM.  It is very strong in the market and the highest selling product from GC. Because GC FujiCEM had already been on the market for a 10-year period, we thought we had much more technology to improve this product.

Last year we had our 90th anniversary celebration and because our company started from cement, we thought we should have a 90th anniversary product in a cement. We also thought we should keep the customer satisfied and many people like the handling properties and easy-to-remove excess cement of GC FujiCEM. So we needed to keep these features but still improve the physical properties to secure more long lasting seating of the prosthesis.

Q: What was the process like in meeting that need?

A: In GC Research & Development (R&D) we are looking for customer satisfaction and quality first. When we are developing a product, we have a process to develop the materials under GC’s Quality Management System (GQM). In each process we look at how the products are meeting the customer or market needs, not only the physical properties or chemistry. We also look at how to transfer our technology in R&D to manufacturing to keep our same quality as we design. We have a total management system (GQM) to make good products to offer to our customers. 

Q: Is there a specific aspect of this product that you’re especially proud of?

A: We incorporated a new high-elastic crosslinking monomer with a modified filler-surface treatment into the Resin Modified Glass Ionomer matrix to get more flexibility and durability. This material compared to the previous one has 30 percent  more flexural strength. We changed the color of the two pastes to pink and blue but still after mixing, the shade is the same as it used to be with GC FujiCEM. This color changing technology makes it more user-friendly with better physical properties for the customers.

Q: What has the reaction been by users?

A: GC FujiCEM 2 has received customer praise like “There is no stress to switch from GC FujiCEM to GC FujiCEM 2.” Those customer voices are proof our development process was correct.

Want more information on GC America products? Check out this video with Sandy Anderson of GC: