The most commonly used methods in the industry to attach lighting fixtures to suspended ceiling grids have been screws and slack wires. These methods were commonly accepted as meeting code requirements, but they fail to provide the level of positive attachment that building codes intended.
When subjected to seismic forces, screws alone can fail — allowing the fixture to separate from the grid. Slack wires may prevent the fixture from falling to the floor, but they do not keep the fixture attached to the grid as a unified system.
The SFC addresses these failures by creating a unified ceiling module that keeps the fixture and grid connected as one unit during an earthquake.