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 (B1) to an end position (B2), 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 (B1), 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 (B1) to an end position (B2), 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 (B1), 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 (B1) to an end position (B2), 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 (B1), 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. <EOS>