Yes I remember them. I have heard 2 stories as to why they are no longer in use. One is because of knit fabrics the other is that since they are a measuring device they fell under the US Weights and Measures dept. and had to be checked by them on a periodic basis to make sure they were measuring correctly. This was an additional maintenance expense. Don't know if either on of these are true, but reading about those machines sure brings back fond memories!