Method and apparatus for creating a comprehensive response model for a sheet forming machine

A computer system comprising a processor and non-transitory computer storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor perform a method of creating a comprehensive response model for a plurality of actuator zones of a sheet-forming machine, the actuator zones being operable to control properties of a sheet, the method comprising:

• providing a continuous response model for each of the actuator zones of the sheet-forming machine based on measured property profiles of the sheet received from one or more sensors of the sheet-forming machine, the continuous response models each comprising a plurality of continuous functions;
• for each of the continuous response models, discretizing the continuous functions to obtain an array of points;
• and
• building the comprehensive response model from the points obtained from discretizing the continuous functions of the continuous response models, the comprehensive response model being a data matrix for controlling, monitoring and/or simulating the operation of the sheet-forming machine.