Identifying components in a material processing system

A method for configuring a material processing system to process a workpiece using a processing table, the method comprising:

• providing a first cutting head having a first radio frequency identification mechanism attached thereto, wherein the first identification mechanism is encoded with information about the first cutting head;
• installing the first cutting head into a first cutting head mount of the processing table;
• communicating the information between the first identification mechanism and a reader coupled to the material processing system;
• adjusting at least one operating parameter of the material processing system based on the information;
• and
• updating the information encoded in the first identification mechanism after an operation of the first cutting head by the material processing system.

An automated material processing system comprising:

• a processing table;
• a first replaceable component comprising a first set of cutting head consumables, the first replaceable component configured for installation into a mount coupled to the processing table, wherein the first replaceable component is coupled to a first electronic identification mechanism;
• a second replaceable component comprising a second set of cutting head consumables, the second replaceable component configured for installation into a second mount coupled to the processing table, wherein the second replaceable component is coupled to a second electronic identification mechanism;
• at least one reader communicatively connected to the first and second identification mechanisms, the at least one reader configured to transmit information about the first and second identification mechanisms;
• and
• a computing device communicatively connected to the at least one reader for (i) processing information about the first and second replaceable components transmitted by the reader and (ii) configuring a set of operating parameters of the material processing system based on the sensed information.