Method and control device for controlling a material-processing process

A method for controlling the processing of a material in a regulated system having at least one process cycle, the method comprising:

• performing a preliminary adjustment of the regulated system at a beginning of each process cycle of the material-processing process as a function of a precalculated process parameter, wherein precalculation of said process parameter includes a material property that is relevant to said material-processing process and is also dependent on a plurality of state variables of said material;
• applying said plurality of state variables to a neural network prior to the beginning of the process cycle, said neural network including variable network parameters;
• forming in said neural network a prediction value for said material property at an output of said neural network;
• measuring said process parameter during said process cycle;
• determining an actual value of said material property after said process cycle by recalculation;
• adaptively changing said variable network parameters as a function of a deviation between said prediction value and the actual value of the material property in order to reduce said deviation.