A plasma cutting system (200, 201), comprising: a plasma cutting power supply configured to provide a cutting current to a torch to create a plasma arc; a controllable gas valve for regulating at least one of a flow rate and a pressure of a plasma gas supplied to the torch; and a controller operatively connected to the plasma cutting power supply to control a current level of the cutting current, and operatively connected to the controllable gas valve to adjust a valve position of the controllable gas valve, characterized in that the controller is configured to: receive real-time torch position information from a motion control system that controls positioning of the torch, wherein the real-time torch position information includes torch positions along a first axis and torch positions along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, calculate respective derivatives from the torch positions along the first axis and the torch positions along the second axis, calculate a real-time velocity magnitude of the torch from the respective derivatives, and adjust the current level of the cutting current and the valve position of the controllable gas valve based on the calculated real-time velocity magnitude of the torch wherein the controller is further configured to extinguish the plasma arc to end a cutting operation by reducing the current level of the cutting current while an arc length of the plasma arc is simultaneously shortened by movement of the torch toward a workpiece. a plasma cutting power supply configured to provide a cutting current to a torch to create a plasma arc; a controllable gas valve for regulating at least one of a flow rate and a pressure of a plasma gas supplied to the torch; and a controller operatively connected to the plasma cutting power supply to control a current level of the cutting current, and operatively connected to the controllable gas valve to adjust a valve position of the controllable gas valve, characterized in that the controller is configured to: receive real-time torch position information from a motion control system that controls positioning of the torch, wherein the real-time torch position information includes torch positions along a first axis and torch positions along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, calculate respective derivatives from the torch positions along the first axis and the torch positions along the second axis, calculate a real-time velocity magnitude of the torch from the respective derivatives, and adjust the current level of the cutting current and the valve position of the controllable gas valve based on the calculated real-time velocity magnitude of the torch wherein the controller is further configured to extinguish the plasma arc to end a cutting operation by reducing the current level of the cutting current while an arc length of the plasma arc is simultaneously shortened by movement of the torch toward a workpiece. receive real-time torch position information from a motion control system that controls positioning of the torch, wherein the real-time torch position information includes torch positions along a first axis and torch positions along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis, calculate respective derivatives from the torch positions along the first axis and the torch positions along the second axis, calculate a real-time velocity magnitude of the torch from the respective derivatives, and adjust the current level of the cutting current and the valve position of the controllable gas valve based on the calculated real-time velocity magnitude of the torch wherein the controller is further configured to extinguish the plasma arc to end a cutting operation by reducing the current level of the cutting current while an arc length of the plasma arc is simultaneously shortened by movement of the torch toward a workpiece.