Plasma arc cutting is one of the most widely used processes in metal cutting fields and is a process that produces parted metal plates by cutting them with an arc plasma established between the electrode tip and the plate(workpiece). When the tip-to-workpiece distance varies during cutting, the cut quality, for example the kerf width, is deteriorated by the change of plasma arc. The variations of tip-to-workpiece distance are due to the different factors such as inaccuracies in setting the torch or workpiece, thermal distortions during cutting, and uneven surface of workpiece. The control to keep the tip-to-workpiece distance constant is thus indispensable to improve the flexibility of automatic plasma arc cutting system applications. In this study, an arc sensor which utilizes the electrical signal obtained from the plasma arc itself was developed. The arc sensor has an advantage that no particular sensing device is necessary and real-time sensing of the tip-to-workpiece distance is possible directly under the plasma arc. The relationship between plasma arc voltage and tip-to-workpiece distance was determined through the repeated experimental results. The model was used for developing an automatic tip-to-workpiece distance control system of plasma arc cutting. It could be shown that the proposed system has a successful capability of tip-to-workpiece distance control.