Systems, and/or methods for movement control of material removal systems and/or assemblies are disclosed, such as saws, grinders, polishers, and/or more general material preparation and/or testing machines, for example. A material removal system may include a material removal machine that is configured to move at the urging of one or more actuators. The system may further include control circuitry configured to control movement (and/or speed, acceleration, etc.) of the material removal assembly (e.g., via the actuators) based on one or more power, thermal, position, and/or other parameters that indicate whether the material removal tool is in contact with a sample.