Obviously its the material, the durometer of the material is too low. 3D printing should advance at a blistering pace, I predict the cost will come down of those that can handle more robust materials or the advent of a type of material that can be chemically or thermally cured.
There is a 3D print company in Sweden that uses electron beams instead of lasers, and can create items using titanium.
I think the bigger concern will be patent violations. Was the AR creation based on another company's design?
I think you are right on all accounts.
Rather than a patch at a point, the design/material needs to be tweaked/redone to reach durability without adding labor and specialized pieces.