GK® Amalgam Capsule: Dental Amalgam History | ATBIO
GK® Brand Story: The Past and Present of the Dental Amalgam Capsule
Dental amalgam is a time-honoured filling material for dental caries, formed through the amalgamation reaction between mercury and a dental silver alloy powder. The amalgam capsule packages the silver alloy powder and high-purity mercury in a fixed ratio, solving the problems of inaccurate chairside hand-mixing ratios and mercury contamination.
Before the mid-1980s, only a handful of overseas manufacturers produced amalgam capsules, and their high price kept domestic sales limited. Chinese manufacturers produced only silver alloy powder, with quality still lagging behind imported products. The GK® amalgam capsule was born precisely to answer this challenge.
01 — The Origin of the G-K Name
The GK® brand name derives from the initials of its two co-developers — G (Central Iron & Steel Research Institute) + K (Peking University School of Stomatology). This compact brand mark carries the founding intent of deep integration between research and clinical practice, and became a symbol of independent innovation in Chinese dental materials.
02 — Development Timeline
Origin, 1984 — As China's science and technology reform unfolded, the Physics Division of the Central Iron & Steel Research Institute partnered with the Peking University School of Stomatology to develop the GK® high-copper silver alloy powder: the Institute handled material R&D, while the dental hospital handled testing and clinical validation.
Breakthrough, 1985–1987 — In 1985 the silver alloy powder passed ministry-level appraisal and received the first national patents; trial production began in 1986; the product launched in 1987.
Take-off, 1988–1998 — In 1988 the GK® amalgam capsule was born, passed ministry-level appraisal, and was listed as a National Torch Program project. Over the following decade the GK® series won recognition as an outstanding Torch Program project and a flagship product of the Beijing New Technology Industry Development Zone.
Transformation, 1998–2005 — In November 2003, the predecessor company was reorganised with all its assets into Beijing AT&M Biomaterials Co., Ltd., opening a new stage of development.
03 — Core Technology: Rapid-Quench Melt-Spinning Powder Process
The GK® silver alloy powder uses a rapid-quench melt-spinning process: molten alloy is poured onto a high-speed rotating cooling roller, instantly cooled and flung into metal flakes, then crushed and heat-treated into alloy powder. The resulting powder has a quasi-amorphous microstructure that resists corrosion. The capsule shell is internally shaped into trapezoidal and triangular structures, which create impact differences during trituration and make the amalgamation reaction more complete.
04 — Market Position and Quality Reputation
In 2002, domestic annual sales of the GK® capsule exceeded 5 million units for the first time. Domestic market share surpassed 70%, and the product was exported to more than 50 countries and regions. On 26 March 2003, the GK® capsule obtained EU CE certification, making ATBIO the first Chinese company to complete CE certification for this product category.
References
National Intellectual Property Administration of China. CN Utility Model Application No. 88208547.6, Dental amalgam capsule (牙科用银汞胶囊), filed 1988-07-21, granted 1989-11-15 (publication No. CN2032067U). Patent record: https://patents.google.com/patent/CN2032067U/en; CNIPA Patent Publication and Announcement Database: http://epub.cnipa.gov.cn/
United Nations Environment Programme. Minamata Convention on Mercury — Dental amalgam. https://minamataconvention.org/en/topics/dental-amalgam
Ferracane JL. A Historical Perspective on Dental Composite Restorative Materials. J Funct Biomater. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39057295/
European Commission. Medical devices sector. https://health.ec.europa.eu/medical-devices-sector_en
About the Manufacturer
AT&M Biomaterials Co., Ltd. (ATBIO) is a technology-driven dental materials manufacturer with CE and EN ISO 13485 certification, serving customers in more than 100 countries. This page does not claim unconditional sale authorization in every country.
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