Device for producing three-dimensional objects by successive hardening of layers of a structural material which can be hardened by means of radiation, at the locations corresponding to the respective cross section of the object, comprising - a housing which encompasses a process chamber, - a construction container accommodated therein, wherein the construction container comprises a support device, - an irradiation device for irradiating layers of the structural material, wherein the irradiation device comprises a scanner having a scanner beam spatial region between the irradiation device and the construction container or an applied layer in the construction container, - a metering device for supplying the structural material, - an application device for applying the layers of the structural material to the support device in the construction container or a previously formed layer in the construction container, wherein the application device comprises a coater element which is movable, during a coating process, from a starting position to an end position, in order to distribute the structural material, fed by the metering device, as a thin layer in an application region, along a linear application movement; and wherein the coater element performs an evasive return movement (A, R, Z) at the end of a coating process for a layer, when returning the coater element into the starting position, in which movement the coater element does not cross the scanner beam spatial region, characterised in that the coater element is moved, during the evasive return movement (A, R, Z), at a higher speed compared with a layer application speed. - a housing which encompasses a process chamber, - a construction container accommodated therein, wherein the construction container comprises a support device, - an irradiation device for irradiating layers of the structural material, wherein the irradiation device comprises a scanner having a scanner beam spatial region between the irradiation device and the construction container or an applied layer in the construction container, - a metering device for supplying the structural material, - an application device for applying the layers of the structural material to the support device in the construction container or a previously formed layer in the construction container, wherein the application device comprises a coater element which is movable, during a coating process, from a starting position to an end position, in order to distribute the structural material, fed by the metering device, as a thin layer in an application region, along a linear application movement; and wherein the coater element performs an evasive return movement (A, R, Z) at the end of a coating process for a layer, when returning the coater element into the starting position, in which movement the coater element does not cross the scanner beam spatial region, characterised in that the coater element is moved, during the evasive return movement (A, R, Z), at a higher speed compared with a layer application speed. the application device comprises a coater element which is movable, during a coating process, from a starting position to an end position, in order to distribute the structural material, fed by the metering device, as a thin layer in an application region, along a linear application movement; and wherein the coater element performs an evasive return movement (A, R, Z) at the end of a coating process for a layer, when returning the coater element into the starting position, in which movement the coater element does not cross the scanner beam spatial region, characterised in that the coater element is moved, during the evasive return movement (A, R, Z), at a higher speed compared with a layer application speed.