A powder application arrangement for use in an apparatus for manufacturing work pieces by irradiating powder layers with electromagnetic radiation or particle radiation, the powder application arrangement comprising: - a carrier adapted to receive layers of a raw material powder and a work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method; - a powder application device which comprises a powder chamber (16a, 16b) for receiving and storing the raw material powder and a powder outlet opening (18a, 18b) for discharging the raw material powder from the powder chamber (16a, 16b) onto the carrier, the powder application device being movable back and forth across the carrier; - a first camera (34a; 34b) attached to the powder application device in such a position that it is capable of: -- acquiring images of the surface of a raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring images of a surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a second moving direction (A1; A2) opposite to the first moving direction (A2; A1); and - a second camera (34b; 34a) attached to the powder application device in such a position that it is capable of: -- acquiring further images of the surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring further images of the surface of the raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the second moving direction (A1; A2); wherein the two cameras (34a, 34b) are designed in the form of line cameras and equipped with line image sensors, each line image sensor having a length which is adapted to the dimensions of the carrier in a direction parallel to an orientation of the image sensor. - a carrier adapted to receive layers of a raw material powder and a work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method; - a powder application device which comprises a powder chamber (16a, 16b) for receiving and storing the raw material powder and a powder outlet opening (18a, 18b) for discharging the raw material powder from the powder chamber (16a, 16b) onto the carrier, the powder application device being movable back and forth across the carrier; - a first camera (34a; 34b) attached to the powder application device in such a position that it is capable of: -- acquiring images of the surface of a raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring images of a surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a second moving direction (A1; A2) opposite to the first moving direction (A2; A1); and -- acquiring images of the surface of a raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring images of a surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in a second moving direction (A1; A2) opposite to the first moving direction (A2; A1); and - a second camera (34b; 34a) attached to the powder application device in such a position that it is capable of: -- acquiring further images of the surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring further images of the surface of the raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the second moving direction (A1; A2); wherein the two cameras (34a, 34b) are designed in the form of line cameras and equipped with line image sensors, each line image sensor having a length which is adapted to the dimensions of the carrier in a direction parallel to an orientation of the image sensor. -- acquiring further images of the surface of the work piece made of the raw material powder by a generative layer construction method while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the first moving direction (A2; A1), and -- acquiring further images of the surface of the raw material powder layer applied onto the carrier by means of the powder application device while the powder application device is moved across the carrier in the second moving direction (A1; A2);