Methods and systems for predictive torch height control

A numerical control cutting machine with predictive torch height control, comprising:

• a cutting bed for supporting a plate to be cut;
• a gantry for traversing the cutting bed in an XY plane substantially parallel to the cutting bed;
• a cutting torch mounted on the gantry and having vertical positioning in a Z axis that is substantially perpendicular to the XY plane;
• a height measuring device for measuring the height of the cutting torch above an upper surface of the plate at each of a plurality of points in the XY plane, the height measuring device including one or more of a laser, an acoustic sensor and a mechanical sensor;
• a controller for controlling the gantry to move the cutting torch along a cutting path;
• and
• a surface prediction module, implemented as software executed by a processor of the controller, for predicting the height of the upper surface of the plate at any XY point based upon a surface model of the upper surface, the surface prediction model capable of generating the surface model from the measured height of the upper surface of the plate at each of the plurality of points in the XY plane,
• wherein the controller is capable of adjusting the vertical position of the cutting torch relative to the upper surface of the plate such that the cutting torch is substantially maintained at a predicted height, according to the surface model generated by the surface prediction module prior to the controller controlling the gantry to cut the plate, above the upper surface while the cutting torch is cutting the plate.