Barden was founded by Theodore Barth and Carl Norden (hence the name "Bar-den") in 1942 to make precision ball bearings for the Norden bombsight. The bearings they manufactured were of exceptional quality, featuring tolerances beyond the scope of the technology then available.

In 1991, Barden became affiliated with FAG, and now forms the nucleus of its Aircraft and Super Precision (ACSP) Division. Included are facilities in Schweinfurt, Germany and Stratford, Canada, and its subsidiaries Winsted Precision Ball and Barden U.K., a manufacturer of precision ball bearings, based in England.

Today, Barden/FAG continues to meet the challenge of manufacturing to super-precise/super-critical tolerances, and is recognized as an industry leader in this achievement. As an ISO 9001 certified company, excellence in manufacturing remains our guiding principle. Today, Barden's reputation as a world leader in the design and manufacture of deep groove and angular contact super precision spindle and instrument bearings is unsurpassed.

Applications include machine tool, aircraft, special machinery and medical.

OEM customers are served direct by Barden/FAG, MRO customers are served by a network of over 1,000 distributor locations.