Jim English saw the potential of introducing nanotechnology to the marketplace when he helped get mainstream America to buy Rain-X. Today he is trying to duplicate that success with his own company, Nano Synthetics.

The Troy-based start-up is incorporating nanotechnology into manufacturing, specifically the metal cutting process, with its Tool-X product. Tool-X is a nano fluid that is added to both water- and oil-base machine coolants to improve their ability to cut metals, increasing speeds and lengthening tool life.

"We're seeing tool-life increases of 200 percent to 300 percent," says English, president of Nano Synthetics.

The seven-person start-up has had Tool-X on the market for a little more than a year and its sales have increased every month. English expects sales to take off over the next year as more and more manufacturers start to accept its potential.

"We see it doubling or tripling in size," English says. "People are starting to understand that high-tech technology can be used in their industry."