Method for processing a material layer using energetic radiation having variable energy distribution

The invention relates to a method for processing a material layer using energetic radiation, in which method a plurality of separate energetic beams 2 are directed, at least intermittently, onto the material layer and are guided in a movement direction over the material layer, the material layer being locally melted within a region to be processed while producing at least one continuous melt pool. By varying the radiated power and/or the spot spacing and/or the spot size of energetic beams 2 directed in each case into the region to be processed and/or by adjusting a mutual offset of energetic beams directed in each case into the region to be processed, one or more properties of the melt pool and/or of a melt track produced by solidification of the melt pool are influenced in a targeted manner. As a result, in generative manufacturing methods, the length of the production process of the components can be increased without reducing the surface quality, and improved adaptation to the component geometry can also be achieved.