M-252 is a nickel-chromium-base superalloy strengthened by cobalt in solid solution together with a gamma-prime (Ni3(Al,Ti)) precipitate built from titanium and aluminum. Developed in the early era of wrought nickel superalloys, it was one of the first alloys engineered specifically to hold useful strength and oxidation resistance in the 1200-1500°F range, and it occupies a historically significant place as a precursor to later, more highly alloyed turbine disk and blade materials. Its molybdenum addition provides further solid-solution strengthening alongside the gamma-prime phase, giving M-252 a strength profile that was considered high-performance for its generation and that still sees use today in bar and billet form for rotating and static turbine hardware.

M-252 is normally supplied and machined in the solution-treated and aged condition, since that heat treatment is what develops its working strength. Typical applications include turbine disks, blades, and high-temperature bolting where a well-established, thoroughly documented alloy with predictable elevated-temperature behavior is preferred over more exotic, harder-to-source chemistries.

M-252 machines like a classic gamma-prime-strengthened nickel superalloy, with the added difficulty of a heavy cobalt and molybdenum solid-solution addition on top of its titanium/aluminum precipitate. Low thermal conductivity keeps heat concentrated at the cutting edge instead of carrying it away in the chip, and the alloy work-hardens quickly under cutting stress, so light or interrupted cuts leave a hardened layer that resists the next pass. Because M-252 is normally machined in its solution-treated and aged condition, tool edges see high mechanical loading throughout the cut and retain relatively little relief from thermal softening as temperatures rise.

Cobalt in particular contributes to abrasive wear on cutting edges and tends to promote galling and built-up edge under sustained cutting pressure. Rigid, vibration-free setups, sharp positive-rake coated carbide inserts, conservative cutting speeds, and steady feed rates that keep the tool cutting below the work-hardened layer left by the previous pass are the standard approach for controlling tool wear in this alloy.