Influence of annealing on enhancing soft magnetic properties in laser powder bed fusion processed Hiperco (Fe-49Co-2V)

•Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) processed Fe-Co-2 V (Hiperco) soft magnetic alloy exhibited a single-phase BCC microstructure with in-grain misorientations in the as-built condition, which increased with increasing laser scanning speed.•While as-built Hiperco exhibited relatively high values of coercivities (Hc ∼26 Oe) for all process parameters, annealing led to a substantial decrease in Hc to a range of 6.9 – 10.8 Oe.•The saturation magnetization (Ms) increased from 213 emu/g to 228 emu/g post annealing.•The substantial decrease in Hc and increase in Ms could be attributed to annealing induced recrystallization, grain growth, and increase in degree of B2 ordering. Annealing of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processed Fe-49Co-2 V (Hiperco) samples at 865 °C for 4 h leads to a substantial improvement in its soft magnetic properties. While the as built LPBF samples exhibited relatively higher coercivities (Hc) ranging from 25.8 – 26.5 Oe, the annealed LPBF samples showed significantly lower coercivities (Hc) of 6.9 – 10.8 Oe. These lower Hc values can not only be attributed to the 15–20 times larger grain sizes, but also the higher degree of B2 ordering in the annealed condition. The enhanced degree of B2 ordering also increases the saturation magnetization (Ms), from 213 to 228 emu/g, in samples processed with a laser fluence (energy/density) of 3.4 J/mm2. These results reveal the underlying mechanisms leading to an enhancement of soft magnetic properties in LPBF processed Hiperco via annealing-induced microstructural control.